Saving Me
by DarkRose731
Summary: Lost, afraid, alone and in danger. A girl escapes from a place she never knew could exist in the first place; the only problem is she has absolutely no idea where she is nor where she can go. Completely surrounded by wilderness and night, she runs away into the shadows of the unknown in hopes of finding something or someone who will save her.First fic ever!Please go easy on me! R
1. Finding Me

** Hi, this is my first story ever to be published to this site and I'm really excited to post this finally! I'm a Sonic fanatic so it was easy for me deciding which characters I would be using! Please read and give your honest review on this story but no flaming! On that note, I shall let you read the first chapter of _Saving Me..._**

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_Chapter One: Finding Me_

The rain came down hard, creating large puddles among the already muddy forest floor. The rain was the only audible sound within miles... that and the loud smacking of somebody's hurried sprint through the blackened night. The heavy panting and the small short breaths of fear quickened as she continued on, constantly looking back for her pursuer. The bog sucked at her bare feet furthering the difficulty of her navigation through the shadowy environment. Branches and high bushes kept her pace from accelerating by incessantly tripping her and fumbling her footsteps. The panic that she carried within her was rising quickly as she desperately looked for any form of light or of any sign of others.

She turned her head once again to reassure herself that she had a little more time before she was caught. As she was looking back for that split second, her ankle twisted on a tree root and she stumbled forward; falling face first in the mud. She resisted crying out in pain even though she desperately wanted to, as tears streamed down her face and her expression was contorted into one of pure agony.

She managed to get herself up and attempted running again, however the searing pain that shot up her leg stopped her from going further than a few steps. She briefly leaned against a tree to her right and then glanced back another time. She could faintly hear rustling in the bushes not too far from her and, despite her excruciatingly defiant ankle, she continued onward. She was covering a lot less distance than she previously had; she was only able to muster a quick paced limp, which didn't really keep the pain from existing. She knew she had to hurry; she was losing time just thinking about it and if she stressed on it anymore, that would be the least of her worries. She was quietly sobbing as she made her way through the night, blindly. It was so dark; she couldn't make out more than three steps in front of her.

She continued to hear rustling in the back of her head and quickened her pace as much as she could. Her feet were bleeding and aching from running on the ground with absolutely no coverage. She was soaked to the bone and shivering in the cold, still air. She didn't even realize just how much her body desperately needed heat because fear was the only thing driving her forward. She didn't slow down until her legs threatened to collapse right there underneath her and all she was able to manage was a slow walk forward. After a short while, her agonizing thoughts pumped adrenaline into her body and she began a steady run through the deepening forest. Her one track mind allowed her to eliminate all other thoughts of pain and distractions other than to trudge forward.

She was able to quicken her pace for a while, after she saw what might have been a small light in the distance and rushed toward the source. It had disappeared but then she thought that it could have been a headlight and that there was the possibility of a road ahead of her. She mustered all of her strength and will to live and hurriedly made her way over to the source... but all she found when she located the light was what was left of a shattered flashlight; the shards of glass from the lens littered the floor. All she saw from the distance was the dim light that remained in the small light bulb encased in the fractured plastic frame.

Her mind deflated and panic struck her once more. She wildly began to run in a random direction out of pure insane desperation. She had lost all hope of survival and was relying on a miracle that could save her. Her violently reckless state of mind, she began wailing loudly and began furiously sprinting in spontaneous directions. Suddenly, the ground fell away beneath her and she screamed for a moment before she hit the dirt edge and began tumbling forward, rolling down the sharp angled hill. Her body continuously hit rocks and broken branches as she slid right through thorny bushes, leaving deep gashes everywhere along her body. She continued downward until she reached what felt like a solid rock surface and, in small pools of murky water and mud, slid across for a brief period until she flat out smacked the hard surface.

She felt utterly broken and in so much pain she was barely able to even open her eyes. Through all her strength she, slowly peeked out through her rain soaked lashes and delicately attempted to lift herself off of the ice cold floor. What she managed to comprehend was that she had somehow slipped onto a paved road, and in the distance, she thought she might have heard the faint sound of a car up ahead. She then opened her eyes wide as she realized she had heard correct and a car was indeed heading straight for her. She was frozen in spot and despite her mind telling her to pick herself up and get out of the way, her muscles were in too much of a state of shock to listen. She sat there with a horrified expression upon her face; mouth agape, the whites of her eyes showing full circle, and her complexion was drained of all color. The headlights made their way forward but about fifteen feet before reaching her, came a deafening screeching noise, loud enough to drown out the rain.

In the heat of the moment, she shut her eyes and turned her face away, bracing herself for the impact... that never came. Curiosity made her peek out of the corner of her eye to witness the front bumper of the car to be inches away from her nose. She let out the breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Out of pure exhaustion she let herself fall back onto the pavement. All that was running through her mind was two words:

"_I'M ALIVE. I'M ALIVE. I'M ALIVE. I'M ALIVE._"

She heard a door slam shut and then quick footsteps approaching her. She opened her eyes just enough to see someone kneeling down beside her.

"_Oh my God! Are you okay?! Did I hit you? Oh my God... Oh my God... Please! Can you hear me? Answer me! Are you all right!? Oh my God..._"

She opened her eyes more to fully take in whoever was before her. Although she wanted to scream, she could only muster this _"...Huh? What just happened... w-who are you?_" When the man before her just stared at her not knowing what to say next, he just proceeded to pick her up and quickly make his way back to his car. He opened the back door of his car and laid her gently on the back seat. He was about go back to the driver's seat when a weak hand gripped his sleeve. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow but he faintly heard her say one sentence or a question rather:

"_Am I safe?_"

The man just looked at her and shakily smiled while nervously laughing/stuttering out,

"_Y-yeah! Ha-ha, you are! Well y-you will be once I get you t-to a hospital. D-don't worry, you'll be safe and sound in no time! _"

He then got a blanket out of the trunk of his car and placed it delicately over her frail and beaten body. He then jumped into the driver's seat and sped off down the road towards the nearest town.

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** Okay! So that was the first chapter! Who are our two mystery characters? And what is "_she_" running from? Stay tuned to find out! Thank you for reading this and please review it, it would mean a lot to me!**

**-_Dark Rose_**


	2. Remembering Me

**Hey to whoever's reading this! I'm that I got some views to my story in the first few days of me posting it but I was ecstatic when I read that I got a follower and a favorite! I know it's only 2 people but even so, I embraced this small victory! Please continue following my story because I promise I have a lot of ideas in store for this one and it's gonna get really good. I promise!**

**Also! From this point on, the story will be balancing between the P.O.V.'s of the two main characters that were featured in the first chapter (which was more like an introduction and is probably going to be one of the only P.O.V.s I'll do in third person.) Anyway, here's chapter two of "**_**Saving Me" **_**so read on people!**

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_Chapter Two: Remembering Me_

"...I need help!"

"...get a stretcher..."

"...Will she be okay?"

"...let us take care of it..."

"...you'll see her when she wakes up"

"Wait, she's opening her eyes!"

"Can you hear me?"

"Can you speak?"

"Can y...hea...e..."

"M...ss? C...yo...he...e..."

xXx

First I was hearing voices of people I didn't know and I was somewhere unfamiliar to me altogether. I was able to maintain enough awareness to slightly understand what was going on but it wasn't clear; especially since I couldn't even remember what happened since I left... that place. I don't even want to think about it anymore.

_Oh my God... If I wake up back there- no. No, I refuse to believe I went through all that for nothing. But... if "he" didn't find me, who did?_

I could hear them talking for a couple more seconds before everything finally went black; first my sight, then my hearing, then my mind. It felt as if I was falling into nothingness. And then...

"Ahh!"

Just like that I was back in the forest only it was morning and I was in a small ditch on the side of the road, in the dirt. It hurt everywhere, and my head was spinning. It took a while for my sight to adjust once I was able to stand. It felt like I had been hit by a truck and run over a couple of times. My vision started to become fuzzy once I actually started climbing out of the ditch. The image I could see of the road started to become distorted and was swaying in so many directions that I couldn't even get a clear picture of what way to climb so I just started to grab in every direction. I just wanted to get out of the dirt but something was keeping me from completing this task.

The minute I felt I was making progress, the earth just seemed to keep rising and rising; so I started clawing faster and faster until my nails felt raw. It was as if I wasn't moving from my place in the ditch; like something was holding me back. Then I turned around. When I looked down at my feet this black vine latched onto my ankle and twisted its way up my leg and then another one appeared from the earth grabbing my other leg. At first I was in such a state of shock that I couldn't even bring myself to peel my eyes away from what was happening. In a split second, I turned back around and attempted to escape; failing miserably as another vine snaked its way from the ground and taking hold of my right wrist. In one swift movement, I was dragged all the way back down into what used to be the ditch, which was now a large gaping crevasse in the earth. Stones and dirt were falling away down the hole; the edge inching its way toward me every second until finally the hold on my wrists and ankles were let go and I was falling once more into nothingness. The only difference was that this time, I got my voice back and I screamed all the way down...

xXx

"Aaaahhh!"

My eyes flung open to reveal an overwhelming brightness. I was blinded by light for a moment and had to shut my eyes once more to adjust to my white surrounding. I was panting heavily and was struggling for breath after my scream erupted from my lungs. Once I regained my sight, I glanced around the room expecting to be in Heaven or even worse, back in the forest. I quickly realized that I was in a room with white walls, a white floor and white lights that were way too bright that were fixed above my head. I noticed that I was in a bed and in a hospital gown. Within a matter of minutes after regaining full consciousness, all the pain from my wounds seemed to rise up all at once. I still felt kind of dizzy but I was mostly awake at this point and I wanted answers.

As if on cue, a nurse walked through the partially open door to my left. I turned my head and tried to get up to get a better look but my body refused to move without shattering on spot. She seemed in a bit of a rush,

"I heard you scream. Did something happen? Are you in a lot of pain? You must, you took quite the damage last night. Are you thirsty?"

She held out a glass of crystal clear water. I tried lifting my hand to reach for it but my arm was protesting majorly. She saw the contorted expression on my face and quickly set it down on the tray beside my bed and pulled it closer to me so it wouldn't be such a challenge for me to reach it. I took a sip and was satisfied to feel the cool, fresh water running down my parched throat. After that relaxing moment, questions flooded my mind.

"Thanks. Where am I exactly?"

"You're in the Mobius General Hospital. A man brought you in here a couple of hours ago. It was very really late and he alerted the entire emergency staff. You've been the talk of this floor for a couple of hours. Everyone was wondering if you'd wake up or not. You were in pretty bad shape after all, but don't worry, we fixed you right up!"

_Why is she so cheery? She talks way too much, but I guess it is kind of refreshing to hear somebody speak so happily. I haven't heard that in God knows how long._

"Wait. Who brought me in here? I think I remember some guy on the road but I can't completely recall everything that happened."

"The man who brought you here? Oh. He's in the waiting room. He said he wouldn't leave until you were up."

"What time is it? How long have I been here?"

"Well it's 7:47 A.M. right now and he checked you in at around 12:18 A.M."

_I've been asleep for that long? Huh. I normally sleep for only two or three hours at a time. But I suppose the circumstances are rather different in this case._

"About my pain..."

"Oh! Right. Of course. I'll see to that you get your pain medication right away. I think I'll fetch the doctor as well since you're finally awake."

"O-okay..."

I reached over to the glass on the tray next to me and took another gulp of water. It was tremendously soothing and was worth the effort I had to put in to just maintain it in my hands. As I waited for the nurse to return with the doctor and my pain meds, I started wondering about the man who brought me in.

_Why would he do it? Why not just leave me there after he thought he hit me? I wonder if he'll come and see me now that I'm awake._

I wondered a lot and by then the nurse had arrived with the doctor. The doctor had a smile on her face and walked slowly toward my bed with my chart in her hands.

"How are you feeling?"

"In pain... and confused but other than that, I guess I'm fine."

"That's good to hear. My name is Dr. Fox. Who might you be? I need a name for your chart because right now you're anonymous."

"Uh-umm..."

_What was name?! What was my Goddamn name?! I could always say the name "he" gave me, but I promised myself that I would always remember my real name. What was it?_

I started tearing up a bit at my memory lapse. It was such a simple question yet it was so hard to answer. I stammered out the first thing that came to mind.

"H-he used to c-call me... Rose..."

"Rose? Rose what?"

"I don't know. You see, umm, where I was kept, he used to only call us by pet names, but from what I think I remember, Rose is my last name. I'm sorry but I can't remember my first name."

A look of sympathy formed on Dr. Fox's face and I could tell she had absolutely no idea what happened to me out there but I was thankful she didn't push any questions. She just stated,

"Oh no, really it's alright! I'll just check to see if we might have you in the system. But I'm afraid I must inform you that I'll have to notify the police since I have a feeling you're on the Missing Persons chart."

"That's fine."

I said it so dryly. What could the police do? I'll never get back all those years of my life. But I guess it's the next step to escaping. The doctor startled me out of my thoughts as she handed me some pills in a small cup.

"Take these for the pain. And just one more question about something the nurse said. She heard you scream when you woke up. Do you mind sharing why? You don't have to answer if you're not comfortable."

"Oh, it was just a nightmare I guess."

_I hadn't even thought about the nightmare. It was so vivid yet unrealistic. I must have blacked out pretty bad if that was the first thing that came into my mind. _

"I'm sorry to hear that but I'm glad it was just a dream and that you see that you're safe now. I'll go check to see if you're in the system now."

She gave a bright smile and a quick nod, and then she left the room. I waited for about 15 minutes before she returned but it seemed she brought good news.

"You're in luck. I found 10 '_Roses' _that were born in the last 20 years at this hospital. I don't presume you remember your age that is."

"Oh, yeah I'm 16. Age was never an issue. He always made us celebrate our birthdays. He said it was important."

I spat out the last phrase. Just thinking about him made me feel queasy.

"Well that makes this easier. Let's see... Alright. Four of those children are currently sixteen. One is a Thomas Rose, so I think it's safe to eliminate that one and that leaves us with three possible names. There is a Samantha Rose, an Emmaline Rose and one Amelia Rose. Any of those sound familiar to you?"

_Emmaline? Amelia? Emma? Emmy? Amy? Amy!_

"Amy! Amy, that's my name! My name is Amy Rose! I'm Amy Rose!"

_I am Amy Rose. And no one can ever make me forget that ever again._

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**And that's it for this chapter! Yay, Amy remembers who she is and gains back some of the power she lost during her captivity. We got a glimpse of Amy's dark past and the terrible world she escaped from. She also mentions a "we" in one of her statements so are there others? And we are still not sure who our mystery man is yet but we do know he is dedicated to ensuring Amy's safety! Stay tuned to find out more and please leave a review to let me know what you think of the story so far, it would mean a lot! Thanks and see you soon!**

_**-Dark Rose**_


	3. Meeting Me

**Hey I'm back again with another chapter! Thanks for the reviews on the last one, they made me really happy! Anyway, this chapter takes place in the guy's P.O.V. so you can get caught up on what happened to him during the time at the hospital. So please enjoy! Here it is, this one's long!**

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_Chapter Three: Meeting Me_

I burst through the Emergency entrance doors completely soaked to the bone from the downpour outside; the small girl bundled in my arms was wrapped in a blanket but was still shivering incessantly. I was in such a state of panic at the time that I could barely mouth out the words "_help her_" before I collapsed to my knees, tightening my grip around her frail body so she wouldn't slip out of my arms. Once I rediscovered my voice, my call reached every ear nearby.

"Help her! She needs help! Somebody! Anybody..."

My final word came out as more of a whimper. I started to become hysteric until a group of nurses rushed to my side, followed by two doctors. I stood up once more as the nurses tried to loosen my grip from around her silent form. I shakily said to them once more,

"...I need help..."

One nurse called over my voice to a few more hospital staff.

"Get a stretcher! We need a stretcher over here!"

I turned to the nurse that was closest to me.

"Will she be okay? Please tell me she'll be okay..."

"Stay calm, Sir. Just let us take care of it."

"But-"

"You'll need to wait here, Sir. You'll be able to see her when she wakes up."

They had begun to roll her away into a hallway, but I was not far behind. I just couldn't stand the idea of leaving her. I felt some sort of need or responsibility over her for some reason. I didn't know what was going to happen but I couldn't possibly leave without some reassurance of her safety. While lost in thought, a young doctor shouted,

"H-hey! Look, she's opening her eyes!"

I immediately snapped back to reality and pushed a few of the staff members as I rushed to her side.

"Can you hear me? C-can you speak? P-please say something! A-anything!"

Two nurses pulled me back, away from the stretcher and ordered me to go back to the waiting room as I saw a doctor lean in close to her with a small flashlight pointed in her eyes.

_What do they think they're doing to her!_

Her eyes began to flutter closed once more and it looked like she was about to lose consciousness again, yet the doctor was still questioning her.

"Can you hear me? Miss... Can you hear me? Blink once if you can hear me or not."

But she was gone. She wasn't responding at all. She looked kind of peaceful in a way. Everything around us was so rushed and loud and she was just laying there; silent, still and calm.

The nurse ordered me once again to go back and sit in the waiting room until further notice. I just continued to stand there as I witnessed them roll her away through double doors that were labelled "Operating Room". She was leaving me to go somewhere I couldn't follow. After a minute or two, I slowly made my back to the waiting room where I took a seat in the nearest chair I could find. I waited there in silence as a doctor walked by and stopped a few paces away before turning to face me.

"Are you alright? You're shaking quite a lot there."

"H-huh? Oh. Umm. Yeah- no. I mean I'm fine... I'm just... waiting."

"Well, I can see that. My God... You're drenched! Would you like me to get you a dry pair of clothing or a blanket or something? You mustn't stay like that. You do realize you're in a room full of sick people, right? Wait here. I mean just... don't change spots."

_Where else am I gonna go?_

Once she was gone, I looked up and observed the room I was in. There was an old man coughing in the corner that could have been mistaken for a homeless man since his clothes were all tattered and rather dirty. There was also a middle-aged woman sitting on the opposite end of the room, cradling a weeping child in her arms. She looked tired. I know how she felt. I'd been up since 6:00 A.M. Speaking of time; I pulled out my phone from my jeans pocket and was surprised to know I'd been able to stay awake for this long. The time read 12:34 A.M. It was going to be a long night.

xXx

I woke with a start to find the waiting room deserted. I also noticed that I had a blanket placed over my body. I didn't even remember dozing off. I smiled down at the blanket knowing that I must have been passed out by the time she returned with the blanket. If I spotted her again, I'd have to thank her. My clothes were semi-dry but the damp feeling was becoming slightly bothersome. It was getting uncomfortable sitting in the same position for so long and my legs had begun to cramp up. I removed the blanket from my body and placed it in the nest seat over. I stood up and my body immediately protested in soreness and major back pain. I started walking around the room to stretch my legs out and decided to check my phone again. It read 6:52 A.M. I walked over to the window and looked at the rising sun. It was a relaxing moment until I noticed the parking ticket in my car's windshield, a few feet from the door.

_Shit! I forgot to move my car after I brought her in._

I went back to my seat to fold the blanket and place it neatly on the chair, then exited the building to move my car.

The ticket was for $58.00. I took it and shoved it in my pocket, then started the engine and parked my car properly. After I took out my keys, I sat there for a moment, thinking. What was I going to do? I couldn't just abandon this nameless girl at the hospital and pretend I never met her. Why did I suddenly feel some sort of obligation to this girl? I was so lost in thought that I completely forgot I was still inside my car when I should have been back in the waiting room; she might have woken up while I was having a discussion with myself. So I got out of the car and quickly made my way back into the hospital.

Luckily, I hadn't missed much. As it was now about 7:10 A.M., the waiting area had become a little more populated with old people and tired looking mothers with crying babies. I reclaimed my seat from before next to the folded blanket. After about five minutes of nervous boredom, I realized that I hadn't eaten in the last 12 hours; so once again, I got out of my seat and wandered the halls in search of a vending machine. I found one near the elevator, close to the place I last saw the girl, when she was in the stretcher and the doctors were escorting me away from her. I shook my head trying to distract myself from the reason I was still at the hospital.

I pulled out my wallet and put in $1.50 and pressed the code for a granola bar. I didn't even like granola bars but it was the only thing remotely close to breakfast while the hospital cafeteria was closed until 8:00 A.M. As I made my way slowly back to the waiting room, a doctor was scurrying down the hallway with her head down and nearly knocked me over when she crashed into me.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry about that! It's my faulty entirely, I-"

"It's alright, really! Haha, you're just in a hurry, I get it."

"Well not really, I mean i-it's not an excuse!"

"It's fine, okay? It was an accident."

"Thank you, Sir. You're very kind."

"Well, I hope you're not late for wherever you were headed to, haha."

"O-oh no! I can't be late, that's right! Well it was nice talking to you..."

"Sonic. The name's Sonic."

I couldn't help but notice the faint blush appearing on her face the more we spoke. I also couldn't ignore how cute she looked when she was nervous. It helped to calm me down and loosen up my nerves from the situation I was dealing with at the moment.

"So who might you be?"

"You want t-to know my n-name?"

"Yeah."

"I-its Dr. Fox- F-fiona, if you'd like!"

"Fiona, huh? That's a pretty name. Might we be able to talk again, sometime when you're less busy?"

"S-sure! I mean if you want... Here's my number..."

She proceeded to pull a business card out of her front coat's pocket and placed it in my hand. In that moment, I found myself smiling. It had been a while since I smiled truthfully. Maybe this was why this series of events played out. Maybe, this is why I had that near-accident yesterday night. I had come to realize that I was babbling inside my head and it was probably out of exhaustion and hunger. I unwrapped my granola bar and ate it within seconds; attempting to ignore the weird aftertaste it left lingering in my mouth. I sat back down in my regular chair and waited there patiently, occasionally glancing at my phone which only seemed to make the clock move slower. I didn't even know why I was even bothering to check the time; it's not like I was scheduled to be anywhere today. So I just waited... and waited... and waited and waited and waited until-

"Sir! Hey you, you're the one who's here for the anonymous patient that came in last night right? Good! Well I have I news; she's awake and she wants to speak to you, so just follow me!"

My heart began to pound and I started to become both excited and scared at the same time. Would she thank me for bringing her hear, or yell at me for almost hitting her? Would she even remember what happened last night, or me for that matter? All the while, I was thinking this while following the very eccentric nurse to her room. This was the moment where I would find out who she was.

xXx

When I walked into the room, my chest tightened. Her ankles were both heavily wrapped in bandages and one of them had a brace on it. Her right arm was bandaged from a little above her elbow to the middle of her hand and there were small spots that were already displaying light red imprints from the inside. She was still bleeding from her wounds even after all this time. Her face was scratched up; one deep line scraped across her cheek, the rest were just little marks that intruded her skin. She looked very small under all of the bandages and wires that were poking into her. She was using a lot of effort jut to lift her cup of water, from the looks of it. I was still partially hovering near the door until the nurse told me it was safe to come in. I took my time; all the possible things she could say to me were coursing through my mind until she actually spoke.

"Hi."

Her voice was a bit raspy, probably because she was in pain. Every time she made the slightest movement, her face would cringe up. I felt really bad about the whole thing and it made me sad that I couldn't have prevented it from happening but I wasn't even sure why I was thinking this because I wasn't even the one who caused any of it, so why was I feeling like this? I remembered that she had spoken to me and that it was now my turn to say something back.

"H-hi. How are you feeling?"

"It's a bit painful to move, but Dr. Fox said that the pain would subside as soon as the meds kicked in."

_Did she just say Dr. Fox? As in the woman that give her number in hall before? Small world huh..._

"O-oh. That's good. I hope you're not in too much pain, however."

"Not that much but I think it's gonna take some getting used to."

"Okay... Umm, so what's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh. It's Amy. Amy Rose. I found out only 30 minutes ago."

"Really? How so? I mean if you don't mind me asking."

"You can stop saying that, its fine. And well, where I was being held, where I escaped from, the man who was keeping me, used to call us all by nicknames. He used to call me Rose and-

"Wait, did you just say _us_? You mean there are more people that he's keeping?"

"...Yes... There are 3 more of them. He always wanted there to be four of us... and I guess that means that you can expect another girl to go missing any time now because I left."

She started to tear up as soon as she started talking about the possibility of another kidnapping. I understood right away that she was feeling guilty for escaping and I needed to let her know that she did the best thing she could have done.

"Hey, look. You cannot blame yourself for the things that that monster is doing. You did the right thing by escaping. Now you can help the police rescue those other girls and put that scumbag in prison."

"..."

She continued to whimper and sniffle as it was clearly and understandably a still very fresh subject that I think had been in the conversation enough for today.

"Listen. We won't talk about it anymore from now on. I mean we can talk about other things or I can leave if you wa-"

"Don't leave me! Promise me you won't leave me here alone!"

"I-I promise. I just thought that you might want to be alone for a while to process things. That's all. I wasn't going to leave the hospital unless you told me to."

"I've been alone all my life. Well for most of what I can remember. I was taken when I was six and most of my memory before my abduction was shot along with my sense of self. He made me forget who I was; he did that to all the girls! There was one lucky girl that had escaped when I was thirteen. She left in the middle of the night, just like I had, except... she didn't make it. "

"I'm so sorry. But h-how do you know? How are you sure she just didn't get picked up like you had by someone else?"

"Because the next morning, he brought her back... dead. I don't think that he's the one who killed her; I think she just died of the cold or maybe she fell and broke her neck or something."

"Oh my God, Amy! I'm so sorry you had to live through that. I promise he won't ever take you back there again. You'll be safe, don't worry."

"How can you make that promise? You just met me, why do you care so much?"

"Because I found you. And don't ask me why because I don't know why, but I feel responsible for you. I don't think it was just by coincidence that we met. I was there at that time because I was meant to save you. It's alright if you think I'm weird for saying that but I don't believe in coincidences. I think everything happens for a reason."

"I don't think it's weird. I'm happy that at least someone cares. I mean my mom didn't even care to look hard enough to find me."

"I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure she did her best to find you, you shouldn't think like that. If you do... you'll be letting him win and he won't even know it."

"You're right. But I still wish that she had found me. Maybe if she had tried harder then I wouldn't have had to live through that."

"Well I'm sure they'll notify her very soon that you're safe and sound in Mobius. Do you remember where you're parents lived?"

"I only lived with my mom; my dad had died before I was born. He was a soldier. And no, I can't remember where we had lived, although I'm guessing it was this city because according to Dr. Fox, I was born at this hospital. She's running tests right now to see if it really is a match or there was another Amy Rose born on November 18th 1996."

"So you're only 16. How could you have remembered your birthday but not your name?"

"Well he always made us celebrate our birthdays. He said it was always important to celebrate the little things in life. God he disgusted me."

"Well at least you don't have to celebrate your birthday with him anymore."

I tried to sound cheerful but I don't think I was succeeding in changing her mood. I didn't want her to feel bad about herself anymore. I was happy when she changed the subject.

"Hey, you never actually told me your name."

"Oh. It's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."

"You must be named after someone really fast if you were named after a speed setting."

"Actually, I'm the fast one; the fastest to be precise."

"Haha, sure."

"What, you don't believe me? I can prove it to you when you get out of here, if you want."

"Alright. Deal!"

It was the first time I heard her laugh and even smile. She looked better that way. The doctor came in just as we finished our conversation.

"Alright, Amy. Looks like you're a match for the Amy we found in the system. I-"

She stopped herself midsentence as soon as she saw me. She gave me a light smile and continued on.

"Sorry about that. I have also been able to get a hold of your mother's name as well. It is put down as Ms. Cherish Rose. I also spoke to a doctor on staff that knew her; she used to be known as Cherry."

"Used to? What do they call her now?"

Amy seemed to tense up at the mentioning of her mother and frankly I was a bit nervous as well. How is a mother supposed to react to her daughter suddenly being found after 10 years of disappearance?

"Umm, well you see, according to this person who knew her, after your disappearance, she kind of let go of everything and how about I go fetch this person right now because I'm not totally clear on the situation. I'll be right back."

"Yes. Do that."

Amy was snapping. She was scared, lonely, worried and tired and, as well as me, very confused. Just from what Dr. Fox said, I mean Fiona, it sounded like her mother had let go of life. I wasn't about to put these ideas in Amy's head but I got the feeling that she was thinking the same thing already. As a comforting gesture, I offered her my hand, which she quickly accepted and tightly held.

The doctor walked back in the room with a solemn look on her face as well as the nervous expression of the other woman she brought in with her.

"This is Dr. Grace Carrie. She and your mother were friends back in the day."

"Hi there, Amy. My God, you've grown since I last saw you. I'm so sorry about everything that happened to you. I-I'm glad you're safe now though. I suppose you want me to tell you about your mother and what's been going on for the last 10 years."

"Yes, that would be ideal."

"Well. I guess I'll start with when you had gone missing. Your mother gave everything to find you. She spent the next three years doing nothing but searching for you. Everyone thought that it was time for her to let go, but she didn't listen to a word they said. She quit her job and was living on welfare for about 3 years more. That woman went crazy looking for you. I can't tell you how many times she was escorted out of places or banned from places when she either went looking for answers or people to aid her in her search. After a while though, it was getting to be too much for her. She started second guessing herself and suspecting everyone around her. She even accused me of having something to do with your kidnapping. That was the last time I spoke to her. The last I heard she was held up in a psychiatric facility for the last 2 and half years. She got taken in after some sort of episode... she lost it completely when they reported on the news that there was some blood and footprints in a forest not too far from here, but they never found a body. They said they were able to identify that it was a girl between the ages of 12 and 15. I think that was the last of her hopes. That's when she got sent to that asylum. I can give you the address to the place if you want."

"Yes. I want the address. Maybe if she knows I'm alive, she'll... come out of it."

"That sounds like a good idea."

I had to say something to reassure her after that story about her mother. She was so young to be dealing with all of this. I mean I wasn't too much older than her, I was only 20, and picturing all that stuff happening to my own mom, if she was still alive, was a bit overwhelming. Amy had also let go of my hand. The woman took hold of it and just smiled at her. She was much older than Fiona, probably in her late 40s or early 50s. She had tears in her eyes from the story of her old friend who was no longer mentally on this planet. I felt bad for the both of them; and also her mom. If Cherish Rose was not able to recognize her own daughter, it would be so sad for her, and devastating for Amy.

"Have you ever gone to visit her?"

Amy's question was full of despair. Her mood had gone down the drain ever since the doctors had come back in the room; and I couldn't blame her. Today must have been one of the toughest days ever for her; well to be honest, I wouldn't know, I didn't know her.

"I did, once. About 8 months ago. I hadn't heard about her in a long time and thought that it would be nice to check up on her. It took a lot of courage to visit her after her accusations towards me but I pulled it together because of everything she had been through. The thing was, when I did actually see her that was it. She didn't speak and I had been told that she hadn't said one word since she got there. She had been noted to say stuff in her sleep but never while she was awake. It was so sad; I couldn't bear to go back again. It was too much for me to handle. But you... you might be able to spark something in her again, so I hope you do muster up the strength to go see her."

"I will. I want to see her again. I just wish that it was under different circumstances."

"Of course, dear. Well, I'm sorry to leave so abruptly but I have other patients to attend to. I'll see you later."

She while once again at her and then walked out of the room. Fiona also addressed her need to be with other patients and left us alone in the room together once more.

"So..."

"So... What do you want to talk about now?"

Her question brought some relief to me. She seemed to be handling the situation quite strongly. I could understand if she wanted to talk about something a bit more normal.

"I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't talk about your past so much anymore and talk about yourself."

"I think I'm pretty much done with talking about myself for the day. But it doesn't sound like a bad idea for you to talk about yourself. I mean, if you don't mind, that is."

"Hey, are you mocking me? Haha, okay. What do you wanna know?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm 20. Grew up here all my life, parents died in a car crash when I was 7, lived with my brother and sister ever since. What else?"

"O-oh. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked-"

"You didn't ask and its fine, it was a long time ago, I'm over it. My sister took care of me and my brother mostly and then about two years ago, she was able to send my brother off to university so we're all fine. Don't sweat it."

"Umm... okay. So, do you go to school?"

"Me? Oh, no. No, I finished I tried my hand at college, but... it didn't exactly work out."

"How come?"

"Umm, I don't know exactly. It wasn't making me happy and I wasn't really motivated, so I dropped out. I might consider going back later though, in a different subject."

"How old are you're siblings?"

"Sonia's 27 and Manic is 23."

"So you're the youngest, huh? I never had any siblings. It was kind of lonely, you know? I mean, from what I can remember, some of the other girls would talk about their families and I never really had much to say."

I could see her getting sad again, thinking of the others she left behind.

"Hey, I thought we agreed, no more talking about your past today."

"...Y-yeah, I know... but I just can't help feeling like I abandoned them."

"Listen to me. You did not abandon them. You freed yourself. And now that you're free, you can help free them and bring them home. You did not leave them behind."

Tears had begun to well up in her eyes and I thought that it was time for her to maybe get some more rest. I didn't want to leave her just yet though. She looked so fragile... and she was; on the outside and inside too.

"Look, Amy. I think it's maybe time that you got some rest. You're body and mind need rest in order for you to heal properly. But don't worry; I'll be here when you wake up. I'll be right here."

"But- Alright."

She nodded slightly and I got up out of my seat and partially closed the curtains to her room, letting in only a little light. I then walked out of her room and closed the door quietly. I proceeded to walk out of the room only to bump into Fiona again.

"Oh! Hi again, I was just going to check on Amy. And uh, isn't it kind of a weird coincidence that I'm your friends doctor?"

"Oh, she's not my- I mean, yeah, it's quite a coincidence. And I think she just fell asleep, so I'm about to head home for a shower."

I just smiled at her and decided not to explain our entire situation. She was batting her eyelashes and she looked so adorable while doing so, I just blurted out,

"Would you like to go for a coffee, when you're not busy?"

"I'd love to! And I was about to check on Amy right before I went for my break so is now good?"

"Sure, it's perfect."

So she led the way to the cafeteria where we made small talk over badly brewed coffee and stale muffins. I liked her though. She was smart, sweet and she made me laugh, even through this bitter situation.

"Oh, damn. I'm sorry, I'm being paged, I have to go! We really should do this another time."

"Y-yeah! Of course, catch ya later!"

And like that I was alone once again. I got up and weaved my way through the now crowded hospital hallways to the exit and got into my car. It took me 20 minutes to get home. I then had a long, hot shower and plopped on my bed. I fell asleep in a matter of minutes. Today had been such a weird day.

* * *

**Alright, so what do you think of that? I like the friendship that's developing between Amy and Sonic. Amy's past is really intense as well, and what do you think of Sonic turning on the charm for Fiona Fox, huh? Let me know in the reviews, please, it helps a lot! Btw, thank you to everyone who continually read this fanfic! It highlights my day to see how many views I get! See you soon!**

_**-Dark Rose**_


	4. Trusting Me

**Hey what's up guys! I got another chapter for you right here and I hope you're liking the story so far. It means a lot to me when you review so I would really appreciate if you took the time to write just a simple comment or anything you like! Thanks :)**

**Here is chapter 4!**

* * *

_Chapter Four: Trusting Me_

It felt like I hadn't slept in forever. I can't even describe the feeling; it was the deepest sleep I've ever had. I'd woken up to the sun setting in the distance through the slightly open curtain that revealed the orange painted sky. There was a small breeze coming from the window that was cracked open an inch. It was surprisingly chilling as my body had attained a warmth I hadn't felt in a long time. I pulled up the covers to cover me completely and thought about everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. I had successfully escaped my imprisonment of a decade, been rescued by a very kind-hearted stranger who wasn't such a stranger anymore, and had sought out refuge in the hospital she had been born. There were a lot of things that I should have been overjoyed about, but I couldn't help but worry about the other girls who I wasn't able to experience this with.

A saddening guilt crept into my mind that they must have thought that I'd selfishly abandoned them. Even though Sonic had tried to reassure me that I hadn't left them behind, I didn't exactly explain to him the whole truth behind my escape. The honest story would have been to tell him about the plan they had created together a few weeks prior to my escape. This plan could have only worked if the four of us had done our share of the tasks and it would have had to have been pulled off perfectly.

The plan was that while "he" was out, we would investigate every place in the cabin that he held us. When he left, he would lock all the shutters and doors and any possible ways for us to escape. If we understood every path, we could have found a weakness some place; and we did. It took us a week to come up with what we could do with the loose brick under the window in the dining back of the house. We decided that every chance we could we would loosen it even more until one day one of us was able to remove it. We then moved on to our tactic for escape. One of the girls was meant to distract him for a bit by pretending to have cut herself and asking him to go fetch the bandages, which we had taken from every possible place in the house to buy us some time. The next girl was supposed to use the brick to break the lock off the back door while the third girl grabbed all the stuff we might have needed on our escape (which wouldn't have been very much since we needed to run). I was supposed to run out and find the sharpest stick in the forest nearby to use as a weapon against "him", since we knew for a fact that he would come after us. I probably had the most dangerous part since I would be the one to fight him off if we weren't fast enough. I was the fastest one of the girls and I was probably the one that showed the most hatred towards him.

But... it had been weeks since we had thought that plan over and I... I was getting scared that we were slowly becoming delusional and that our moment of freedom would never come. So I ran away, in the middle of the night, by using the brick to break the lock and just running for it. It was so rainy and cold and I was crying senselessly but I was so pumped with fear after I heard him yelling after me, that I didn't stop running until I lost my mind. And then I fell onto an open road, where a chance I thought could never come, came in a rapid flash of light and thunder. And then I woke up here...

I shook myself out of my trance of memories I hadn't even realized I was in.

_Dammit Amy! Get a hold of yourself. If you keep blaming yourself, how can you help the others..._

I had to convince myself that me being safe and sound here was a good thing. At least now, I could work with the police to save the others, and we could all live normal lives again and see our families again and-

"Amy? You awake?"

It was the peppy nurseI had spoken to earlier.

"Yeah. I'm awake."

"Oh, good! Did you sleep well? A-are you hungry? I mean, you must be after all this time..."

She was muttering on again, but I appreciated her presence. It was a really big change in environment for there to be such positive people in my surroundings. It seemed to make my mood lighter every time she was in the room.

"Yes, I slept very well and uumm, yeah, I could go for some food right about now."

"Oh goodie! I'm happy you seem to be recovering very quickly and I'll go get you something to eat right away!"

"Oh, and nurse?"

"Yes Amy?"

"Thank you."

"For what, may I ask?"

"For being you."

"Oh, Amy, that's so kind of you to say! You're very welcome! I'll be right back with your food now."

She smiled at me in the sweetest way. And in that moment, I felt myself smiling too.

xXx

I was already beginning to get tired again a little while after I ate, but I thought it might be wise to keep myself awake for a little while longer to not completely ruin my sleep cycle. Just as I was thinking that, a blue figure walked into my room, as if on cue.

"Oh, you're awake already. I thought you might have still been asleep by now. Sorry for not being here when you woke up like I said I'd be; I kinda got caught up in a little nap myself. So how long you been up?"

"Uh, just a little while; maybe about half an hour, forty-five minutes."

"Oh, that long huh? Sorry, I guess I just have bad timing."

"It's alright. I think I needed a bit of alone time to think things over."

"Well then, I guess I have impeccable timing, haha."

"Yeah. I got some stuff cleared out of the way, so I guess it was a bit helpful."

Just then the nurse walked in with a couple of police officers and another woman who accompanied them. I had never seen any of them before now.

"Ms. Rose, may we have a word with you?"

"Um, sure. I think I know what this is about, anyway."

"Alright. Where should we begin?"

She and her male partner shared a glance and they both nodded to each other.

"So Ms. Rose-"

"Do you mind just calling me Amy? I mean I'm only sixteen, my mother is Ms. Rose."

I don't really know why I said it; I guess it just made me feel less uncomfortable in a way.

"Oh, yes. Of course. So, uh, Amy... do you mind telling us everything you know about what happened ten years ago when you were kidnapped? Any places, people, events, just anything you can remember; your furthest memory..."

"Uumm... The furthest back memory I have is the truck I was put in the day I was abducted. It was very big on the inside but then again, I was six so everything seemed big to me at that time. I'm pretty sure it was a van or a Jeep. It was a dark color on the outside but I'm not precisely sure what exactly. To be honest, ever since then I never even saw the van or Jeep. He kept us in the house for like 99% of the time so again I'm relying on a very distant memory. It could have been a dark green, which would kinda make sense since he kept us in the middle of the forest; or a dark burgundy or navy blue or something like that."

"Thank you. That's very helpful. I heard you mention an "us" in one of your statements. Could you tell us more about that? And you also stated for a fact that your abductor is a man, correct?"

"Yeah. He's a big and stocky hedgehog. He's a light red color and he has peachy skin. He was in his mid thirties to early 40s. Now that I think about it, he always made sure we remembered our birthdays and ages, but he never once told us his age or birthday.

About the "us" portion of my statement, there were always four of us. I was the fourth one when I first arrived with three other girls. I can't really tell you their names except for one of them, since only one of them remembered their name. He always used nicknames on us. Mine was Rose; the other three were Jewel, Kitty and Feathers. The thing is...Feathers didn't exactly... make it."

"What do you mean she didn't make it?"

"Three years ago, when I was thirteen, she tried to run but he caught her. He brought her back and she was dead. The thing about it is I don't know if he's the one who killed her. There were many ways that she could have died out there especially since she escaped on a January night and it was a blizzard outside."

"What about that girl who's name you knew?"

"Well that comes in to Feathers' replacement. She was Tickles and because she was 8 when she was kidnapped, she remembered her name. Her nickname was close; it was Tikal."

Sonic, then got a look on his face and looked up at the question.

"T-Tikal? Did you just say Tikal?"

"Yes, that was her name. Why do you ask?"

"That was the name of my friend's niece who went missing a little over three years ago and she was eight. I'm pretty sure she's the same one. She has a missing person's report and everything!"

"Is that so? Well then she'll be in the system for sure. Would you mind coming down to the station after you're discharged from the hospital?"

"Yeah, of course."

"So, what exactly did he do to you? Is there a certain reason that you know of as to why you were taken?"

"No, not really. He used to call u his little girls and treat us like we were his children. But as far as that goes, he never really did anything _to _us."

"Alright. I think that's enough questions for today. We'll see you at the station when you come down. Have a nice evening, Amy."

"Bye."

The two cops walked out of the room and revealed the woman standing at the back of the room that I had forgotten about.

"Umm, who are you?"

"My name is Ms. Acorn; I'm a social worker. I'm here to discuss your living arrangements for when you are released from the hospital. Do you have any relatives you can stay with till this is all sorted out?"

"Umm... no."

"Well then, that's a bit of a problem, isn't it, since your father isn't present and your mother is... shall we say away?"

"...Yeah."

"So your options are to stay with a foster family or in a group home. In your case, I personally think that a foster family would be the better option. But it's all up to you."

"Can I think about this later, I'm kind of wiped out from the cop talk?"

"Yes, of course. I'll be back either tomorrow or later in the week. Good day, Ms. Rose."

She walked out of the room and I was once again alone with Sonic. He now had a solemn expression upon his face and it made me feel bad that I mentioned his Tikal's name at all. At least he now knew she was alive.

Suddenly he got out of his seat and stood closer to my bed, then leaned down so we were eye level with each other.

"Listen to me, Amy. You don't have to go stay with some random family for months. I can provide you with another option."

"Really? What can you do?"

"You... you can come stay with me."

"What? But I don't even know you that well."

"But you know me better than you know anyone else here so what will it be?"

"Well you do have a point there but, to be honest, I'm not completely sure I can trust you yet."

"Okay, that's fair, but I live with my sister and in less than 3 months, my brother will be back from university. You won't be alone and I promise I can keep you safe."

"Let me think about it for a while. Can I just sleep on it?"

"Of course. Anyway, it's almost nine o'clock. I'll leave you to rest and I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Don't you have work?"

"Well I work at an advertising company as a sort of paid intern so I just called in for the next week off."

"Oh, okay. Well, bye then, I guess."

"Goodnight, Amy."

He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead and then exited the room. It was kind of unexpected and left me still for a couple of seconds. It had been so long since anyone showed me this much kindness and care. .It was impossible to fall asleep after all that. I had a lot to think about.

xXx

It took me forever to fall asleep last night. First, I still had to struggle with the fact that the people that I had lived with for the last 10 years were still in captivity while I was living free and then on top of that I had an ultimatum pointed in my direction about my living arrangements. It seemed like a wiser choice to choose Sonic over the unknown but I was still unclear on whether I fully trusted him or not. He was very kind, caring and sympathetic, but how could I be sure that this wasn't just some ruse to get me alone with him? I shook my head instantly. Even I knew that that idea was stupid and I should've never thought of it in the first place. If I knew one thing in our short knowing of each other, it was that Sonic was NOT that kind of person. Was he?

I turned to the clock beside my bed to see that it read 8:14 A.M. I had woken up later than I had the day before and I had gone to sleep later. I pressed the buzzer to call the nurse only when she arrived it was a different nurse, who was accompanied by Dr. Fox.

"How are you feeling today, Amy?"

"Fine. The pain is still there but it's definitely not as bad as it was yesterday morning. "

"Well it's good to see you're recovering nicely."

"Does that mean I can walk soon?"

"In a little while, we'll see."

It was bright outside with the sun shining and barely a cloud in the sky but I couldn't help but feel a bit down with the realization that I couldn't move from my bed for another whole day. I just sat there waiting for someone to walk in to bring me out of my bored misery. It wasn't until a little after nine that Sonic walked in... and he brought somebody with him.

"Hey Amy! This is my sister Sonia."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you, Amy! My brother has filled me in on the story. "

"Oh uh, hi! I-It's nice to meet you too."

It was a little unexpected and quite frankly, caught me off guard. I guess he brought her here to try and convince me to go with him when I was discharged from the hospital. What he didn't know is that I had already agreed in my head, based on all the other options being far too unknown. I would have told him right away, but since he brought his sister here, I thought I might pretend to need a little more convincing just to see what they had to say.

"So Amy, my brother has told me that you're having some issues with your living arrangements."

"Uh, yeah."

"And he also told me that he offered you the option to live with us if you were comfortable with that."

"Correct."

"So I thought I'd come by with him today to talk with you about it. Is that alright?"

"Sure."

"Well, considering you don't have many choices other than going into the system, which is not a fun place to be, speaking from personal experience, I think that the better choice would be to come and live with us until this is all sorted out. Before you say anything about it being awkward or uncomfortable to do that, let me just tell you a little about the way the system works. You'll be put into a facility until they find you the proper foster parents and you'll be passed around from home to home like a hot potato. It isn't fun, especially for someone trying to break back into a regular life. The most normal life you'll be able to live is with us where you'll be in a controlled environment. But, it's still up to you; I just thought that you might want to know."

"Well, I didn't know it was that bad in foster homes, but I did some thinking last night and decided that even though I really don't know you guys that well, that it would be a better choice to live with someone that I know a bit about rather than a total stranger. "

"Really? That's great! It'll be nice to have a younger person in the house; maybe liven it up a bit, ha."

"Well I'm not sure how much livening up I'll do but I'd take a boring, regular, teenaged life over what I've been living for that last decade."

I'm not sure why I kept bringing it up; I guess it just happened. I didn't want to talk about it anymore; I wanted to forget it ever happened. I wish I could just wipe the memories clean from my brain and make it all just one big blackout. Every time I mentioned it, I felt the weight in the room just drop from being cheerful to depressing.

"Why don't we try not to talk about it as often, u-unless you want to talk about it? If that's the case then you can talk about it all you want; we'll listen to whatever you have to say."

Sonia was really nice. She kind of reminded me of Kitty a bit. She was 3 years older than I was but she was abducted a year before me. She was the leader of the four of us, I guess you could say. She was always thinking and acting as the mother figure to us, really. She was the one I felt the most sorry for about leaving them behind because she was always protecting us and taking care of us. I always wondered, if she's the one who looked after us, who looked after her?

"No, you're right. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to move on from it, you know?"

"Great! That's great to hear. That's the positive attitude that's gonna help you recover from this. And we'll help you every step of the way too."

"Thanks. You know, I'm surprised you're open to all of this. I mean, sure it'll be a bit awkward for me, but- you're so accepting to allow a stranger into your home so suddenly."

"Well, when Sonic first mentioned it, I wasn't too open to letting him finish his sentence after he mentioned it but then he told me what happened and where you'd come from. And then he mentioned that the social worker had said something about group homes and foster care and that's when I agreed. You see, Sonic and his brother were too young to understand what was going on at the time, but I had to live through it all protected these ones from reality and it was not fun. I didn't think it would be fair to leave you stranded in a situation that was similar to mine."

"I'm sorry about your situation. It means a lot to me that you would open up your home to me like that."

"Thanks. And you don't have to worry; I know what it's like to grow up without parents."

"Yeah, I heard. I'm sorry about that too."

"You don't have to be sorry for me. I got through it, I mean I'm standing here smiling, aren't I, haha?"

"Haha, yes you are."

I really liked her. I think I could learn a thing or two from her. However, what she said next scared me a bit.

"Now the next thing we need to discuss is school."

My eyes opened wide and I took in a quick breath. I hadn't even thought about school. I'd never really been to any school before other than first grade. I really didn't think about school- at all.

"O-oh yeah... school."

"Yeah. School. What is the last thing you learned?"

"Well, all of us used to read a lot because there wasn't much to do around the house so I think I'm pretty caught up with vocabulary and grammar. But as far as subjects like math and science go... I'm so far from ready."

"Really? What have you read?"

"I think the question is, what haven't I read. Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, history, classics, journals, essays, you name it."

"So you must be pretty advanced with your language skills. We'll just need to take you for testing when the time comes. I'm pretty good at math and Sonic can probably tutor with science and stuff. He's such a geek when it comes to physics and chemistry!"

"H-hey! I am not. I just find it interesting, that's all."

"Whatever. Anyways, what I'm saying is, we'll get you caught up for next semester. The worst that can happen is you'll have to do an extra year."

"That's fine considering I've never even been inside a high school before. And Sonic, you never told me what you majored in at college. If you're so good at science, why would you drop out?"

"Well, I didn't go into science like I wanted to, the tuition fees were too high so I went into business, which is why I have the job that I have. I wasn't interested in it anymore after a year and half and so I just quit."

"You mean, you dropped out because you were bored, not failing? That's a bit... spontaneous, if you will."

"Yeah, yeah, I know it was dumb of me then and I only realized just how stupid I was being after I did it so, what was I supposed to do?"

"You got me beat. I don't know anything about college, so don't look at me. So Sonia, what do you do?"

"Well I finished university four years ago and I graduated in electrical engineering, I know it's supposed to be a guy's job but fuck that noise, so yeah. Now I work at a computer company making computers, tablets, and all that junk."

"That's actually really cool. Do you get to keep any of it?"

"Hell yeah. Everything at home is from work. Of course you'll see that when you get out o the hospital; which shouldn't be too long from now."

"Yeah, I'm hoping it's soon cause I'm gettin' real tired of this bed."

"Haha, alright. Well, I actually need to get back to work since unlike Sonic here, I'm not on leave so, It was really nice meeting you Amy. Goodbye!"

"It was nice meeting you too. Bye."

Sonia exited the room leaving the room positive. I got the feeling that she was the kind of person who could look at any situation and make the best of it. I looked forward to getting to know her better.

"So what do you wanna talk about now?"

Sonic had a smile on his, as did I. For once in my life, I felt like it was finally make a turn for the better.

"Oh umm, I never really asked you about what you said yesterday about Tickles- Tikal! Sorry I just got so used to it."

"That's okay. And about that, I have a picture of her with me but it's when she was five so it might be hard to recognize her since she's eleven now."

He pulled out an old photo from his wallet. I was bent on the left corner and torn near the bottom but sure enough, the picture itself was clear. In the photo stood a little echidna girl in a green skirt and white top, laughing and holding an ice cream cone in her hand. My eyes were glued to her form. It was definitely the girl I had lived with for the last three years, smiling careless and free. The girl I left behind in Hell. The girl I abandoned. A single tear rolled down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly but Sonic had seen it. He slowly put the picture back in his wallet and tilted my chin up from where I was looking down. He made me look him in the eyes.

"It's her, isn't it..."

I couldn't find my words so I just nodded. That's when I really broke down. It was going to happen eventually, I mean the guilt was tearing me apart inside and I couldn't keep it in any longer. I put my face in my hands and started sobbing. I thought that I could avoid this but it was inevitable. Suddenly, I felt two muscular arms drape around me and pull me close. I had never been held like this in my entire life and it felt... it felt really good. It was the first time I had ever truly felt safe and protected. I had strived to be strong my entire life and tried to never let my guard down but right then, right in that moment, I felt like I could finally let it all go and just stay in my fantastical sanctuary and cry like I'd never cried before.

"It'll be alright, Amy. I promise. It's alright, I'm right here."

I took my face out of my hands and wiped my eyes. I could feel the streaks from my tears tightening on my face while they dried and left discolored stripes down my cheeks. I wiped my nose and was sure I probably looked like a total mess at that point but I decided to do something that I'd never been able to do back where I lived. As he delicately released his grip from around my form, despite the pain from my resisting body, I outstretched my arms and hugged him. He seemed to tense up a bit at first but then put one of his arms around my back where I was holding onto his neck. Just one of his arms seemed to wrap around my entire body and again, it made me feel safe.

"I- I'm okay. R-really, I'm f-fine."

I pulled away and he followed soon after. I reached for the box of tissues on the stand next to my bed and dried my face off. I stared to feel really tired all of a sudden. I thought it might be from the pain medication I had taken not too long ago. I also felt bad that I was taking up all of Sonic's time so I told him I felt sleepy and that he should go home for a bit since he looked a fatigued as well.

_This entire situation must be stressing him out a lot and he can't be getting much sleep._

"Go, I'll be fine. I'll just sleep off this feeling. Just go home and get some rest, please. You need it just as much as I do."

"Alright, if you insist."

He went over to the curtains and pulled them closed so there was only the light from the fixture above. He made his way over to the switch and flicked it off so I couldn't see that well anymore. He walked over to my bedside, grabbed my hand gently and kissed me on the forehead, just like he had the night before. As he walked away, he held onto my hand until it just fell away from the distance. I think I finally trusted his promise to keep me safe; I finally trusted him. That was the first time I had slept soundly, without worry, in the last ten years.

* * *

**Alright, Sonic and Amy are getting to know one another as well as understanding each other's back stories. It looks like they've both been through the rough but are recovering. Amy still has some regular life things to get used to so feel free to PM me or leave a review if you have any suggestions or ideas in mind for the upcoming chapters. Like I said at the top, it means a lot if you leave a review so please feel free to do so! And again, thank you so much for reading my story, stay tuned for the next chapter!**

_**-Dark Rose**_


	5. Keeping Me

**Hi guys, I know it's been like ten days but it feels like a long time for me to not post anything, so here is the new chapter! I really hope you guys are liking the story so far and I appreciate every who had read it! As much as I love writing for the joy of, it's still encouraging to see people's reactions to it and their comments or thoughts on it so it would be greatly appreciated if you left me a review! **

**Anyway, here you are. Please enjoy!**

_Chapter Five: Keeping Me_

"Come on, come on! You can do it! Look you're almost there, just a couple more steps."

"Walking's never been so hard in my life. And these bars aren't really helping either, they're hurting my hands. I don't see why I need to do this over and over again, I mean it's not like I forgot how to walk, it just hurts when I do."

"Amy, like I told you before, it's necessary as part of your recovery. You need to practice on your foot so it becomes used to it again. But you're right; I think that's enough for now if it's hurting your arms that badly. We don't want you worsening your injuries."

Amy stepped down from walking platform and hobbled to the wheelchair right next to it. She had been in the hospital for six days now and I had spent the day with her ever since. Yesterday, Fiona had gotten her to start on the walking platform to strengthen her legs and to practice her footing even though her ankle was still in a brace. She said that her ankle needed to be trained to withstand her weight so it would heal properly. She was able to walk for a while before the pain became too unbearable for her to last anymore. Her arms had been healing well and the bandages were off but Fiona said there would be scaring for a while before they completely disappeared. The gash along her cheek was almost barely noticeable thanks to the treatment they'd been giving her. Physically, she seemed to be recovering quickly; mentally... it would require a bit more time.

"So Amy, how do feel after that?"

"I'm okay, I guess... My arms are a little sore and my ankle, well... is painful but other than that I think I'm getting used to it."

"Good, because I'm planning on discharging you tomorrow."

The expression that appeared on Amy's face was first of surprise but then quickly translated to one of worry. My own expression seemed to match hers as I was unsure of how ready she was to re-enter the real world. Deep down, I was also terribly nervous of disappointing her if I couldn't give her everything she was entitled to having after her experience.

"What's the matter Amy? I thought you'd be more excited to be released. You look kind of... despondent."

"What? Oh, I am happy to be let go, it's just I'm... I'm scared. I haven't really seen it before and I'm nervous. But I am happy about it all. There's a lot for me to do and it's only hitting me now."

"Alright, well I'll be back to check on you later. For now, you can take some time to take it all in."

Fiona left me to wheel her off back to her room. I didn't really think of how nervous Amy must have been to be entering into something so unknown, until now. I understood why she would be so anxious.

"It's gonna be fine, Amy. I promise. You'll be a normal, teenage girl living a regular boring life just like everyone else in no time."

She giggled a bit and smiled. I hoped that I really would be able to keep my promise.

xXx

"Well, Amy. It was really nice having you as my patient. I truly admire you for everything you've been through. I hope everything goes well for you from now on. Goodbye and good luck!"

"Thanks Dr. Fox. And thanks nurse."

The peppy nurse that had been present throughout much of Amy's stay at the hospital was tearing up a bit where she was standing next to Fiona. She hurriedly made her way to Amy and gripped her in a tight hug to which Amy returned a little less roughly.

"Goodbye Amy! I'm going to miss seeing you every day! Good luck in the future!"

She waved vigorously at us as we exited front entrance to the hospital. Fiona had given Amy crutches after observing her progress this morning. We made our way to my car and I helped Amy into the passenger's seat. I noticed that she was shaking a tad bit.

"Amy, why are you shaking?"

"W-what? Am I? Oh, I'm just nervous is all."

"Well my apartment is around twenty minutes away so hopefully you'll be able to shake it off by the time we get there."

"Y-yeah!"

"Hey, I forgot to ask you where you got the clothes from."

I'd noticed that what she was wearing wasn't what she had been wearing when she was admitted into the hospital. I had all the stuff she came in with, which wasn't much, in a bag in the backseat.

"Oh, the nurse gave them to me. She asked me if I had anything and when I said I didn't, she gave me this sweater, t-shirt, and pants. She also gave me this pair of nurse's shoes."

I got into the driver's seat and started the car. I pulled out of the parking lot and set on the road. For the first five minutes, she was quietly looking out the window with a look of fascination painted on her face.

"It's not like what I expected at all."

"What's that supposed to mean? How did you think it looked?"

"I don't know. Most of the books I read described it- differently. I pictured it much less colorful."

"Well it ain't that great when you see it every day. It's nice that at least someone is still able to find it interesting."

"What's that, that bright place?"

She was pointing to a movie theater that we were passing that was attached to the biggest mall in the city.

"Oh that? That's the cinema. They play movies and have arcade games and stuff like that."

"I think I remember that place. I probably went there once with my mom, but the memory is fuzzy."

"If you want to go sometime, I'll take you."

"Yeah, that would be nice."

She turned to me and smiled. I loved her smile, it brightened almost any situation. She turned back and looked out again.

"I wonder what the mall is like."

"It's- crowded. There are a lot of stores, restaurants and things to do. It's fun."

"Oh there's a park! With swings and everything. I remember that; I'm not entirely sure if it was that one in particular but my mom would bring me there nearly every day."

"Really? Sonia used to do the same with me and Manic for the first few years before we grew out of it. I think she used it to distract us, and maybe herself for a moment."

"What's that small building there? Is that the police station?"

"Yeah. We need to go there tomorrow."

"Oh. Right."

She didn't seem to enthusiastic at the sound of that. Neither was I, for that matter. They often pry and I was hoping they weren't going to upset her too much. I tried to draw her attention away from the subject.

"Hey, you see that large building to your left?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That's Mobius High. It's the high school for this region and probably where you'll be attending next year."

"Really? I didn't think schools were that big. There must be a lot of students who attend then."

"Yeah, there are a lot. At least there was when me and my siblings went there."

"You went there? Cool!"

We finally reached my apartment building and I turned off the engine in my parking space. Sonia's car was also parked right next to it.

"Hm, I wonder what Sonia's doing home so early. Anyway, here we are."

I helped Amy out of the car and set her on her feet. Just as I locked the car doors, my phone started ringing. I pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. It was Fiona. I quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, sorry to bother you but I just called to let you know that the social worker came in looking for Amy today. I told her that she was going to stay with you so be prepared for a call from her pretty soon."_

"Oh yeah, she did say she would be coming back to see her later in the week. Well thanks for letting me know. We just got back to my place and we're about to walk in so I'll call you later."

"_Alright. But hey, why don't we see each other tomorrow night."_

"Alright, what do you have in mind?"

"_I was thinking, maybe a dinner movie date?"_

"Sure sounds great. I'll pick you up at your place at around 7, is that good?"

"_Seven's perfect... See you then. Bye!"_

"Bye."

I ended the call to see Amy staring at me from a distance. I don't think she heard the call but she looked slightly impatient. I rushed over and opened the door for her. I pressed the elevator button to go up to the 4th floor. I walked her over to the door labelled 4c. I unlocked the door and was greeted by the smell of something baking in the oven.

"Hi, guys! I thought, since Amy must be nervous, I'd make cupcakes! There's chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, blueberry and strawberry!"

"Wow, that's- surprising! Thanks!"

I reached to take one but Sonia quickly smacked my hand away and stared at me angrily.

"Hey! Let Amy chose first."

"Oh, cool. Thanks!"

She chose a chocolate cupcake and took a bite from it gladly. She looked as if she was in heaven over it. I'm not sure if she remembered what chocolate tasted like, but it looked like she was enjoying it.

"Yum, this is so good, Sonia! Thanks so much for making them."

"Oh my pleasure! I can teach you how to make them sometime if you'd like."

"That would be so awesome!"

She quickly gobbled the rest down in swift bites hardly leaving enough time to swallow properly.

"Oh, sorry Amy. Here's a chair."

I pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and seated her at the table. I took my leather jacket off and hung it on the coat rack. Then I pulled a chair out for myself and took a cinnamon cupcake. I had to admit, Sonia did a great job. I wasn't even aware she could bake. I remembered then that I needed to ask her something important. I walked up to her and leaned in close to her ear so that Amy couldn't overhear.

"Hey, umm, did a social worker call?"

"Oh, maybe. There was an unknown number I saw in the messages but I haven't checked it yet. Could that them?"

"Yeah, it probably is. Listen I don't want Amy to know about it until I know what she wants. I think she has enough on her plate for now."

"Yeah, your right. Plus, you need to take her to the cops tomorrow, and you need to take her to the uh- to her mom."

"Oh, shit. I completely forgot about that. That's gonna be so tough on her. Let's try and make her as comfortable as possible here, okay?"

"Of course. I'll do my best just like I did with you and Manic after the accident."

"Thanks, sis."

"Anytime..."

I gave her a quick smile and walked back over to the table. I sat back in my seat and sighed.

"So Amy, what do you want to do for the rest of the day? I mean it's only the in the afternoon, there's still lots of time left of the day."

"Umm. I'm not sure actually. I'm pretty tired, so is there anywhere I can sleep for a bit?"

"Sure, we don't really have a guest room but Manic's room is vacant at the moment so you can stay in there and we'll figure something else out later when he comes back. But you don't need to worry about that, he won't be back for a few months."

"Oh okay."

Sonia handed Amy her crutches and guided over to Manic's room. I put my head in my hand and ran my other one through my quills. This situation was going to get messy if this didn't work out and that was the last thing that Amy needed right now. I walked over to the house phone and pressed the button to hear the last message. This is what I heard.

"_Hello, my name is Sally Acorn calling on behalf of the department of social services to discuss the living arrangements of Ms. Amy Rose. I believe we met earlier on this week and I was informed this morning that Ms. Rose would be staying with you for an indefinite amount of time. Please call me back so we may schedule a meeting just for verification at the number registered on your caller ID and my extension is #223. Thank you for your cooperation and have a nice d-"_

I clicked the button to stop the message at the last word. This was stressing me out.

_Dammit! What if she sees us as "unfit" to handle her? I mean we both have pretty good jobs and we have the room, well for now, but what if she finds some way to deem us as incompetent. What'll happen to Amy then?_

"Hey, what's the matter? You seem tense."

Sonia had just walked in of the room. I'd been so deep in my thoughts that I hadn't even heard her footsteps approaching.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just a bit worried about this social worker situation. She wants to schedule a meeting with us and I'm nervous about how that's gonna play out."

"Wow, you've really seemed to grow an attachment to this girl. I can see it written all over your face. Everything will be fine, trust me. She's just going to ask us a couple of questions and be done with it. You should call her back and make that appointment. Get it over with as soon as possible."

"Yeah I guess that's the best plan of action. We deal with the cops tomorrow, which shouldn't take that long and have that meeting in a few days. Then- I'll take her to see her mother."

"I think that's going to be the toughest time out of all of them. We should space it out to give her time in between them for her to process all of it. If it's all clustered together, it might overwhelm her. "

"Yeah. And I forgot to ask, why are you home so early? You usually work until five."

"Oh well I knew that you were coming home with Amy today so I told them I'd do half my shift in the morning and end at noon and then do overtime tomorrow. Speaking of work, when are you going back?"

"Uhh, I'm supposed to go back next week..."

"...but?"

"But I don't know if I should leave Amy alone."

"Well have you considered that she may want some alone time? You know, she's still a teenage girl and she has a lot to think about all the time so she may not want to be accompanied through everything and want to work some things out on her own."

"No, I guess I didn't think of that."

"See? We'll sort it all out in a bit."

Sonia walked away and I heard her room door close quietly. I decided I needed some air so I took my jacket off the coat rack and slid it on as I walked over to the elevator. I pressed the button but it was taking too long and I was becoming fidgety so I went over to the stairs instead. As I was making my way down, I had to move out of the way for some movers who were bringing up furniture for a new tenant right up to my floor. Behind them, a few steps down, was a black and red hedgehog following at a very slow pace. I stopped and stared at him for a while, unintentionally. He looked back at me with a menacing gaze before turning back and continuing up the stairs. I shook my head and convinced myself that I was probably misreading looks because of my stress level. I proceeded down until I reached the ground level and walked out of the lobby. I decided to walk around the block for a bit just to clear my head a bit and get some things sorted out.

As I was coming around the corner from making a full tour of my block, I received a phone call. I recognized the number instantly with a smirk on my face.

"Hey, what's up Tails?"

"_Hey, me and Knuckles are going out for a drink later, you wanna come?"_

"Yeah, actually. I've had a rough couple of days and I could use a drink. What time?"

"_Around nine. So, you coming"_

"Yeah, I'll see you there."

"_Alright, cool man. See ya!"_

I hung up the phone and gazed at the current time.

_4:38 already? Damn, how long was I out?_

I walked back into the lobby of my building and decided to take the stairs again. When I reached my floor, I passed by appt #4b. I stopped and glanced at it for a bit. The door was partially open. I checked both ways on the floor and found it to be dead silent with nobody else on the floor. I quietly approached the slightly open entrance and pushed lightly on the edge of the door. A panicked expression appeared on my face as I expected it to creak but surprisingly found out it didn't. I assumed there would be the sound of rustling boxing of the sound of tape being ripped off but instead found that to be silent as well. Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I stepped into the now mostly open door. One single step at a time, I softly entered #4b. The hallway walls were painted a deep red that kind of reminded me of the color of blood and the wooden floor was an extremely dark shade of brown, almost black. From what I could see, the walls inside what looked to be the living room were stacked high with unopened boxes and the floor was full of scattered furniture and tape morsels as well as large bits of cardboard. Five steps into the hallway, I heard the one thing I didn't want to hear.

"Ahem, what do you think you're doing?"

I turned around and quickly waltzed out of #4b and back into the floor hallway. My face had most likely turned a bright shade of red as the embarrassment of getting caught snooping set in. I tried to smile at my new neighbor, the red and black hedgehog from earlier but I didn't think he was buying it.

"Uh, haha ha. Nothing! I was just uh- looking to see if anyone was uh- home. Yeah..."

"..."

"Well, I see you're busy unpacking and such, so uh, see ya later!"

"Hey wait. You think you can just break into my apartment and get away with it that easy? And didn't I see you earlier today?"

"Hey, that door was begging for it with you leaving it open like that! And yes I believe we shared a glance in the stairs this afternoon. Look I'm sorry I got curious but if you're that mad about it, why don't I help you bring the rest of the stuff up and we can call it even?"

"No, I don't want you touching any of my stuff but you can start by leaving me be and promising that I never have to see your face again."

"Well yes I can leave now, but there's kind of a problem with your second request."

"What, are you asking to get beaten up? Or should I call an ambulance for you right now? Leave or I'll make you leave."

"We'll be seeing a lot more of each other around her though considering we are now neighbors."

"What? Oh you've gotta be kidding me..."

"Yeah and dude, try to be a little less harsh on people you meet because I'm not that soft. Anyway, why don't we put all this behind us, I'm Sonic."

I extended my hand for him to shake but he just stared down at it. He continued to walk into his apartment, completely ignoring my friendly gesture but turned to say something.

"The name's Shadow. Now don't bother me again."

He slammed his door closed and left me stranded in the hallway. I shrugged my shoulders and took out my keys. I opened my door to find Sonia and Amy sitting in front of the TV in our living room. I closed the door and hung up my jacket.

"Hey guys, we got a new neighbor!"

xXx

"I'll see you guys later."

"Alright, bye then."

I walked out my apartment door and started down the hallway. Halfway to the elevator, I paused and turned back. I slowly made my way back up to #4b and with a sigh, I knocked. After waiting a couple of seconds, the door opened.

"Ugh, what do you want now? Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?"

"Look, I feel bad about our encounter earlier and I wanted to apologize properly. I'm going out for a drink with a couple of my buddies and was wondering if you wanted to come. "

"No thanks."

He then closed his door in my face and left me there- again. I pressed the elevator button but like before, it was slow, so I took the stairs. When I reached the lobby I heard the elevator ding. I turned around and was shocked by what I saw. Shadow sauntered out with a grin on his face.

"On second thought, I could use a drink, especially if someone else is paying."

I laughed and walked out of the building to my car. I motioned for Shadow to get in but he just pointed to his own ride; a motorcycle. He marched over to it and sat down.

"Where're we headed to?"

"Just the bar about fifteen minutes from here. It's called 'The Sapphire'. It's got a big neon blue sign; you can't miss it."

"Gotcha. I'll just follow your car."

"Alright."

He put on his black helmet. He looked like a real biker with his spiked leather jacket, black jeans with silver chains and black combat boots. I proceeded to my car and drove down the road to the highway with Shadow right on my tail with his bike.

Once we got there, I saw Knuckles car parked near the door. It was a bright red Jaguar. I pulled in next to it whereas Shadow parked right at the back. He ran back over to the door.

"Why the hell'd you park so far from the door?"

"I don't want people to think I'm with you."

"Oh ha-ha, very funny. Just get in already."

At least he had a sense of humor. I walked in and saw my two friends waiting there for me at the bar counter.

"Hey guys, how's it goin'? I hope you don't mind but I brought somebody."

"Oh really?No we don't mind. Who is she?"

"Actually, I'm a guy and I'm only here because your buddy said he's buy me a drink for breaking into my apartment today."

"Oh shit. Really, Sonic? Anyway nice to meet you, I'm Knuckles."

"And I'm Tails."

"Hi."

They all introduced themselves while I ordered myself and Shadow a beer. Once I received them I handed one to him.

"Oh thanks, but I don't drink beer."

"What? Why didn't say something sooner before I paid for the thing!"

"Haha! Calm down, I'm joking. I just wanted to see your reaction. Ha, your face was priceless."

"You're just an asshole, aren't you?"

"Little bit."

I laughed it off; at least he was giving me the attitude he had when we first met. I sat down on a stool next to Knuckles. I took one look at him and the smile on my face disappeared. Seeing his face instantly reminded me of the things Amy told me about one of the other girls that were trapped in that hell. In that moment, I honestly didn't think I would be remotely able to tell him about Tikal. I would have to do it soon, but tonight he just seemed so happy and carefree.

_I can't do that to him right now. I have to tell him at a more appropriate time._

The guys seemed to notice my sullen expression and pulled me out of my trance.

"Hey, Sonic, you all right, man? You look like you've seen a ghost..."

"Huh, what was that? Oh it's nothing; just blanked out for a minute there."

They didn't look that convinced.

"Come on guys. Seriously, it was nothing, see!"

I smiled widely to reassure them that I was completely fine even though I wasn't. I turned around to my beer and took a large swig of it. Then I turned back to the guys and tried to change the topic of conversation to distract them from my weirdness.

"So Tails, how's that new project you're working on?"

"Oh, you mean the heat-sensor goggles? It's almost done, actually. Well it is done but I'm trying to make it so that the distance it covers had a wider range. It'll be finished in about a month or so with all the testing and that kinda stuff."

"Cool, I can't wait to try them out!"

Shadow looked a bit confused about what we were talking about but Tails picked up on it.

"I'm a scientific materials inventor. I work for different companies that provide the tools to high tech military and government facilities. It's quite fun actually!"

Shadow just looked at him and stared for a while.

"Uumm, how old are you?"

"I'm 18. I was recruited right out of college."

"Wow. I'm 21 and I work at a bike shop."

"Hey, I'm a mechanic as well!"

Knuckles put in about his job. The second he spoke, the thoughts came rushing back about Tikal. Her being alone, crying, frightened... It was really getting to me and I didn't know how long I could keep up this act with Knuckles around.

"Oh, well I'm not really a mechanic, I just... do stuff there. I'm not really trained. But it pays, so... Sonic?"

"Earth to Sonic!"

"Snap out of it!"

"Huh? Did I do it again? Oh I guess I must be tired. I've been working real hard these last few days and I'm wiped out."

"That sucks man."

I didn't really have any proper reason to lie but I wasn't ready to tell them everything that was really going on just yet. We chatted for another twenty minutes about our jobs and life in general. Knuckles was talking about his girlfriend, Rouge for a good ten minutes; they'd been together since we were teenagers. Although Knuckles was older than me by 3 years we managed to become good friends in high school. Him and Rouge were always together and they still are now except when she has her girls nights, and we have our guys nights. Their relationship somehow had given me hope that one day, maybe I'd be with someone like that.

_Maybe me and Fiona would be like that someday, who knows?_

After everyone had finished their drinks, we decided to call it a night. It was a Wednesday night after all and we all had work in the morning. Well, everyone except me, but they didn't know that. I DID have something very important to do tomorrow but I wasn't about to tell them.

"See you, guys. It was nice meeting you Shadow."

"Thanks, bye."

"Bye guys."

"Hey can I talk to you for a minute?"

Knuckles had walked up beside me just as Tails had left. Shadow was getting on his motorcycle already.

"You gonna find your own way home, Shadow?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Alright, see you later then, I guess."

"Yeah."

I walked over to the wall of the bar and leaned my back against it. My shoulders tensed up a bit but I tried to look comfortable. I was anxious about whatever question he had.

"Sure man, what is it?"

"You were acting... strange tonight. Like really out of it, you wanna tell me what's going on?"

"I told, it's nothing."

"Come on Sonic, it's me you're talking to. Don't pull this shit now."

"Alright, I'll tell you. But not now, some other time. It's just really... complicated. The situation I'm in is... awkward. I will tell you, don't worry, just not now. You have to trust me on this."

"Alright, I won't pressure you into talking but just know that I'm here for you, man."

"Thanks, I appreciate that a lot. I'll see you later."

I pushed myself off the wall and walked over to my car. Knuckles waved at me as he got in his car. I pulled out of the parking lot in my own vehicle and drove home. I made my way up to my apartment and quietly entered. I hung my jacket up and softly headed down the hallway to my room. As I crept past, I couldn't help but notice Amy's small form bundled under the covers in Manic's room. The door was half open and I could see her shifted slightly in the bed. I smiled and thanked God that I she was able to get away from that place. After a moment, I slipped into my room and shut the door. I took my shoes and jeans off leaving me only in my t-shirt. I lay down on my bed and sighed. There was so much to do but I tried hard not to think about it.

_I'll deal with it tomorrow. Everything will be dealt with tomorrow._

With that in mind, I pulled the covers over my head and sank into a deep sleep.

**I hope that chapter was as enjoying for you to read as it was for me to write it! I'm actually loving where I'm talking the story so far, and I have to admit, it's not going anywhere near where I had originally planned. I guess my first idea drifted to the back of my mind somewhere and shot out some new stuff for me to think about. As you can also see, I've introduced some new characters along with some new troubles. There are other characters that will be featured in later chapters but let me know what you think of these ones so far! Please don't forget to leave me a review; it helps a lot to motivate me to write more! :) Thanks again for sticking around!**

_**-Dark Rose**_


	6. Hearing Me

**Hi hi! So this next installment of the story took me a while to finish up but is a bit longer and may be written in a slightly different manner. It focuses more on Amy's observations and a lot on appearances. Hopefully it will achieve your satisfaction and peak your interest! I'd also like to thank everyone who left a review for your lovely feedback, I always love hearing what you guys think of it so please leave a review if you get the chance.**

**Here you go!**

* * *

_Chapter Six: Hearing Me_

I woke to find the sun shining down upon my face, the rays warming up my chilled body as I got out of bed. I was wearing the white t-shirt that the nurse had given me at the hospital yesterday and a pair of pajama bottoms that Sonia had lent me for the night. I didn't feel tired much after I woke up, which was unusual for me. As awkward as my living situation was with Sonic and Sonia, they did their best to make my stay there as comfortable as possible. They had to be the kindest people I'd ever met; especially after what I'd been through over the last decade.

I stretched my arms and yawned. I stood up and hobbled to my crutches. I then opened the door to the bedroom I was staying in and stepped out into the hall expecting to hear voices echoing through the apartment but found it to be strangely quiet. I glanced at a clock that hung on the wall of the hallway adjacent to the bedroom. It read 7:30 A.M. I was slightly surprised to find that I had awoken that early. Realizing that the others in the apartment were most likely still asleep, I hopped with my crutches as silently as I could down the hallway to my left, away from the other two bedrooms and slipped into the small bathroom. I closed the door slowly, careful not to make much of a disturbance. I then turned on the tap and let a small trickle of water flow through. I placed my hand underneath to test the temperature and pulled back instantly at the icy cold texture. I turned the second tap for warmer water and tested it again. Once the water was in my preference, I splashed a little of it in my face. The water still had a sensation of coolness but it felt smooth on my skin. I then looked up at the mirror in front of me. I wasn't entirely pleased with my appearance. I realized that in the period I'd been found, nobody felt it necessary to comment on how pale my skin was, how dark my eyes looked, how hollow my face had been, how tangled my hair was or how weak my expression looked. Not one person had thought of telling me how broken I looked or thought that I might care about how I came off to people. I ran a hand through my hair which wasn't very long; it went about three inches past my shoulders. I saw and elastic on the counter next to the sink and tied my hair up in a small ponytail. It looked a little less messy that way. The scar along my cheek was pretty faded but still very apparent in my eyes. I felt along it with my finger, gently pressing on it. I didn't want to look anymore so I finished up in the bathroom, washed my hands and grabbed my crutches again. I walked out into the hallway again and made my way to the kitchen table. There was a box of cereal and an empty bowl with a spoon set aside on the table. Next to it was a note.

_Good Morning Amy,_

_I know you're an early riser and assumed that you'd get up ahead of Sonic. I had to go into work early this morning to make u some of the hours I missed yesterday when I came home early. I won't be home until later today and you'll probably have gone to the police station already so I just wanted to wish you good luck on that. I'll see you later,_

_Sonia_

_P.S. - The milk is in the fridge._

I smiled down at the note. She really was one of the sweetest people ever. I hobbled to the fridge and took out the milk. I poured the cereal and milk in the bowl and put the carton back in the fridge. I sat down and began to eat. It took me a while to finish it because I was chewing very slowly. I didn't have much of an appetite that morning. I was nervous for the questions at the police station later on that day and wasn't particularly looking forward to talking about what I'd been through for the last ten years but I realized it was the only way I could help the other girls who were still prisoners of that monster. I was eight o'clock by the time I put my bowl in the sink and rinsed it. I attempted reaching down and opening the dish washer but found it difficult to bend down that far without applying pressure to my ankle. I felt bad leaving the bowl there but I didn't really have much of a choice. I took hold of my crutches and proceeded back to the bedroom. There wasn't much else to do but get ready for the police meeting so I just got dressed. I closed the door and took off the pajama bottoms. I put on the tan colored pants that the nurse had given me the day before. They were tightly fitted but comfortable. I took the pullover hoodie she had given me as well and put that on. It was a dark raspberry color and was made of fleece.

It was still a bit cold outside since it was nearing the end of March but most of the snow had disappeared already so it didn't really require a full jacket. I remembered that I didn't have any socks so I glanced around the room for a drawer that might have some. I hobbled over to nearest dresser and opened the first drawer. It was mostly empty with only a few pairs of old socks left.

_It's the not the most ideal, but it'll have to do..._

I hopped back over to the bed and sat down. I tried on the pair of socks but found them to be too big for my small feet. I then remembered that I was in a guy's room and took them off. I put them back in the drawer and sat back down on the bed. I laid back and sighed. I didn't want to wear shoes without socks again because it was uncomfortable but it was either that or the nuisance of floppy socks. I sat up from the bed and grabbed the crutches. My arms were just beginning to get sore from using them. I made my way to the door but just as I opened the door, Sonic was standing in front of it.

I wobbled back a bit from surprise but caught myself.

"G-good morning! I didn't mean to startle you, I was just about to knock and see if you were up."

"It's alright, I've been up for a while."

"Oh, really? Sorry, I'll get back on my sleep schedule when I go back to work. I usually wake up earlier than this but lately, I didn't have to."

"Oh, right. So uh, when are we going to the police station?"

"Oh well, whenever I guess. Do you want breakfast?"

"I already ate. Sonia left some out for me before you got up."

"Oh okay. By the way, I brought up your bag of stuff when I got home last night."

"Oh, really? Where is it?"

"It's right by the door. I'll get it for you-"

"That's fine. I need to get used to using these."

With that, I carried myself to the door and bent over to pick up the bag. I tried my best to ignore the pain that was pressing down on my ankle as I did so.

_Maybe it would have been smarter to just let him get it for me._

With the bag hanging from my arm, I dragged myself over to the couch in the living room of the apartment. There it was. A small, black canvas bag filled with a muddy black long-sleeve shirt and a filthy pair of torn and tattered jeans. This was all I had to show for the last ten years of my life. I sighed a little too loudly and Sonic heard.

"What's up, Amy? You sound tired."

"No, everything's fine. It's just... what's in this bag is a big reminder of all I missed out on while I was captured; everything _we _missed out on."

"Don't worry Amy. Everything will turn out, I promise."

He knelt down in front of me and stared deep into my eyes with a smile on his face. I stared back and managed a genuine looking smile, although deep down I wasn't as confident about it as I looked. I looked back down at the bag sitting in my lap. Sonic got up and walked over to the counter when the toaster popped. When I saw he had his back turned to me, I opened the bag wider and reached inside. I searched through it until I took hold of what I was looking for. I pulled out the folded piece of paper I wanted to find and opened it slowly. Then I heard footsteps coming towards me so I quickly folded it back up and shoved it in my pants pocket.

"So before we leave today, Sonia's left me a checklist of stuff to go and get so I'll be out for a while. Oh and if she give it to you yesterday, there's a box of stuff for you; I think it's in her room, so you can go check that out while I'm out."

"Oh okay."

He finished the last of his breakfast and grabbed his jacket off the coat rack.

"Well, I'm off. See you later, Amy."

"Bye."

The second he closed the door, I took hold of my crutches and traveled as fast as I could to Sonia's bedroom. The door was closed when I got there, so I was nervous about invading her room. It felt wrong to just walk in but since nobody was there, I assumed it was the only thing I could do. I turned the doorknob slowly and creaked open the door. I let go and let it swing open until it nudged the wall. I stepped inside and looked around. It was slightly bigger than the room I was staying in and the walls were painted bright pink, while my room was painted and deep green. Her double bed was set against the far wall, away from the door and her closet was opposite it. A box lay on the floor against the bed so I walked over to it. I sat down on the bed and picked up the box. It was lighter than I expected it to be so the note on top of it slipped off when I picked it up. I rested the box upon the bed and reached down to pick up the note. I liked the way Sonia left notes for everything. This is what it read.

_Dear Amy,_

_Since you were to be arriving on Wednesday, I took the time to pick up a few things that you'll need while staying here. As a woman myself, I know there are certain things that you can't really ask a guy to buy so I got them without Sonic knowing. In the box you'll find some necessities that are common and others that are well a little more 'girl business'. Have a nice day!_

_Love, Sonia_

I laughed a little and found myself smiling after reading it. It was very sweet of her to do these things for me and I genuinely appreciated it. I set my crutches against the bed, picked up the pox and hopped out of the room, down the hall and into my room. I set box down on my bed and plopped down tiredly on it. Hopping on one leg took a lot of energy out of someone. I got up once again and hopped back to get my crutches. Once I got them, I went back to the room to see what was in the box. I set the box on my lap and opened it up. Inside was the general necessities like a toothbrush, a hairbrush and comb, a bottle of shampoo, and finally some socks and underwear. I lifted them out of the box one by one and discovered underneath was a smaller box that had something written across it in marker.

_Here are the things that are a little more private. Hope you don't mind that I picked up some._

_P.S. – I guessed your size! Hope I got it right._

I was now curious so I tore open the box to find two bras inside as well as a box of tampons. I started laughing as I remembered how embarrassed I was about when I saw these. I remembered how comforting Kitty was when I was crying because I thought I was dying. Kitty told me that she complained about it to _him_ and demanded that he keep us supplied since we were under his capture. I really missed all the girls and I began to go back into a guilty mindset. I even started to wonder out loud.

"What did I do? I left you all behind! What did I do!? Am I as bad as her? Am I worse than Feathers? Was running worse than giving up? Oh God, what did I do? I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..."

I was sobbing on my bed uncontrollably. For the first time since I entered my freedom, I was so happy I was alone and that nobody was around to witness this. I hadn't lied about Feathers, I just hadn't told the whole truth. I sat up and wiped my face. Then I pulled out the piece of paper from my pocket. I had stolen it before I left. It was the one thing I needed to bring with me so I shove it in my jeans pocket before I ran. I had to make sure she was never forgotten. I unfolded it and like I had countless times, I read it once more over.

_I'm sorry girls. I tried. I really did. But I can't take it anymore. This place, this life, this man... I just can't go on anymore. I don't want to leave you behind, but I don't think I even have a choice anymore. I don't think that my mind is going to let me take this anymore._

_I wish, God I wish there was a way out. An easy way to just let go of it all, a way we could go together. But I can't think of one. I really want to just run away from all of this. Why did it all have to happen? Why couldn't we have just lived on in our normal lives like before we were taken? My God, I can't even remember what normal is anymore. I feel like even though my body is still on this planet, my soul drifted away a long time ago._

_If there is anything I could say to you right now, girls, it would be: _

"_I love you"_

_I'm sorry but my time has come. Goodbye._

_Forever yours,_

_Feathers_

I couldn't keep the tears from pouring down my face as I finished reading it. It was the last thing she had ever said to us; and it wasn't even directly from her. I read it in her voice; she always had a sweet voice and she used to sing to us. Everyone was devastated when we found out what she did. We found the note neatly tucked underneath her pillow in our room. We never actually spoke about it until we devised that plan. That stupid plan that would have never worked. I think I was only thinking that to convinced myself that running wasn't that bad an idea. But they probably all hated me. They must have thought I was filth for abandoning them.

_Maybe I am filth..._

I curled up into a ball on the bed and cried my heart out.

xXx

"Hey Amy, I'm back!"

I jumped up at the sound of the front door slamming. I wiped my face and looked around. I found the letter next to me with a few teardrops on it. I quickly folded it back up and put it in my pocket. I then put everything except a pair of socks, back into the box and closed it. I put the socks on and reached for my crutches. I traveled to the bathroom and closed the door fast. I looked at my face in the mirror again, which was now full of tear stained streaks that ran down my cheeks. I opened the tap and splashed some water in my face. I dried it into a towel and stepped out of the bathroom and into the hallway. I made my way to the kitchen where I found Sonic unpacking some groceries he had bought.

"So did you find the box?"

"Uh, yeah!"

"What was inside?"

"Oh j-just some stuff like a toothbrush and some socks; just general stuff."

"Oh alright. So when do you wanna go?"

"Umm I guess soon. I kinda just want to get it over with."

"Yeah that's probably best."

"Well I'm gonna go brush my teeth and then I guess we can go."

"Okay."

I left down the hall once more, retrieved the tooth brush and went to the bathroom. I then, with lots of effort, managed to put the running shoes that the nurse had given me on. Once we were both ready we made it down to the car and took off towards the police station. On the drive down, I could tell Sonic was trying to lighten the mood with talking but it didn't really change much.

"So you nervous?"

"Um, a little bit. Mostly just sad that I need to talk about it."

"Yeah I can only imagine how you feel."

_You have no idea..._

"Well here we are."

We pulled into the small parking lot of the police station and got out. My hands started to shake a bit; one traveling to my right pocket. I felt around for the letter and sighed when I felt it. It somehow pushed me forward to walk in. I wasn't sure whether or not it mattered to them how she left the world. It sure didn't matter to me now; all that mattered to me was that she was gone. With that, we went inside and straight to the front desk.

"Ah, Amy Rose! Yes we've been awaiting your arrival. Come right this way. You can stay there, sir. We need to speak to Amy alone."

I looked at Sonic and mouthed out the words _'It's okay'._

The police officer that had spoken to me led me to this little room where he sat me down on a chair and closed the door. I suddenly felt slightly claustrophobic and wished that he had left the door open. I also hadn't noticed the female police officer in the room as well. She was the same one that visited me at the hospital. I think they realized how uncomfortable I was getting.

"So Amy. Tell us, how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"I mean, how are you finding- let's say, your freedom?"

"It's going good. I mean I'm trying to get used to it. Everything's still really new to me."

"That's understandable. Are you ready to talk about your past now?"

"I guess so."

"Alright, well that's good. So where should we start. I know we probably already asked you this but how far back do you remember?"

"Umm, well I can remember certain moments with my mother and then remember I can remember some of the first moments I spent in captivity. The first memories I have of home were playing in the park with my mother. That's one thing I couldn't forget. She used to bring me to the park every day. I have a lot of memories of that park but strangely... not that many other ones. I remember the first day I arrived at the man's house. Just to be clear, he never once said his name. I was pulled out of his truck and brought into this cabin of sorts. That was the last day I ever saw the outside _from_ the outside again up until I escaped. When I arrived, he put me in a room with three other girls who had been there before me. The only thing he said that day was this is Rose. She's your new sister. Then they introduced themselves to me as Kitty who had been there the longest, Jewel who was there the second longest and then... Feathers. She arrived several months before I did although she was 2 years older than me."

"How old were the others?"

"Kitty was 3 years older than me and Jewel was 2 years as well."

"So now they would be 19 and 18. You mentioned another girl after that, Tikal was it?"

"Yeah but that was long after. I was 13 when she arrived. She was 8 at the time. That was right after Feathers... passed."

"So we have Tikal who is now 11. You mentioned the last time that your captor possibly murdered your friend Feathers-"

"No! Feathers ran and she... here."

I pulled the note out of my pocket and handed it to them.

"Read this. I took it before I ran. This is what she left before she took off."

The female officer read it to herself and then handed it to the other officer.

"I'm so sorry, Amy. That must have been hard on all of you."

"Yeah."

"Amy, can you tell me how many months after Feathers passed that Tikal arrived? I know this must be tough but it's important so that we can estimate when he'll attempt another abduction since you're out of there."

"Um, I don't remember in days but it was about a month and a half later. He said he needed there to be four of us at all times."

"That doesn't give us much time then. Thank you, Amy. I think that's all we need for now. You are free to go."

She handed me my crutches and I stood up to leave but then I remembered something.

"Umm, can I have the letter back?"

"Well we need it for evidence right now but I assure you that once all of this is over, you can have it back."

"Oh. How long will that be?"

"A while. But we appreciate that you gave this to us."

"No, I need it back now, it's all I have left of her. Please just give it back!"

"I'm sorry Amy, we can't do that."

"No! I need it back! I need it. I need her..."

"Please escort her out of here."

"I can't leave without her."

My head hung as an officer led me back to the front desk. Tears began forming once again. Sonic looked at me and got up immediately. He rushed towards me and lifted my face up with his hand delicately to see that I was tearing up.

"We're leaving now, don't worry."

He led me out to the car and opened the door for me.

"What happened in there?"

"N-nothing... actually..."

"Come on, you can tell me."

"Well, I didn't exactly tell you the whole truth about what really happened to Feathers..."

"W-what do you mean, the whole truth? She passed in the wilderness, right?"

"Well... yeas but she- it was on purpose. She did it herself..."

"What! Really? How do you know that?"

"She left a letter... I-it said that sh-she couldn't take it anymore! She gave up too easily! She left us behind... but so did I..."

"No, no she didn't leave you behind. Some people are just not able to handle stress and unfortunately, she was one of those people. If you're looking for someone to blame, blame him. He's responsible for anything that happened in that time. And you... you have absolutely _nothing _to be sorry for. You did the best thing you could to help them. You're the hero in this situation, not the villain."

"W-what? But they're still suffering and I-I'm... here."

"And you're still suffering when you shouldn't be. You need to keep thinking about how you're helping them by being on the outside. Now let's just get in the car and we'll go and eat somewhere."

"A-alright."

He brought a hand up to my face and wiped a falling tear off my cheek with his thumb. I was happy to have someone on my side; I just wish I was able to be there too.

xXx

"That was really good for a place I'd never been to."

"Yeah it was. Sorry I didn't want to go to a bigger place but I didn't really want to be around a lot of people."

"Yeah I understand. Anyways, I'm surprised I'd never been there myself. It didn't look new either."

"Do you normally go out to eat?"

"I guess so but I normally go to bars and stuff or sports restaurants or fast food places, not diners."

"Oh, so you and Sonia don't cook?"

"Sonia does and I do a little as well but mostly on week nights, my friends invite me out and stuff."

"Like the last night?"

"Yeah only we didn't eat."

"Oh. That's cool."

I gave him a little smile as we pulled into the parking space of the apartment building. Sonic got out of the car and opened my door for me then handed me my crutches out of the back seat. I thanked him and we walked up to the elevator. When we got out, someone called out to us.

"Hey! Blue."

"Hey Shadow, what's up?"

"Nothing, I was- Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were busy. Alright, well never mind, then."

"Oh no we were just heading in. What do ya need? "

"Well the last of my furniture is arriving today and I was hoping I could get a hand with it?"

"Yeah, sure. Just give me a minute."

"Yeah."

I stared curiously at the dark hedgehog that Sonic was talking with. I'd never seen him before and Sonic had never mentioned him. I guessed he was the neighbor but judging from his request to Sonic he seemed to have only moved in recently. I turned away and motioned towards the door but was stopped by Sonic before I reached the door.

"Oh, sorry Amy! Uh Shadow, this is Amy; Amy this is Shadow, the new neighbor."

"Hello Amy."

"H-hi."

His voice was so low and hard, I seemed to tense up a bit as he stared me down for a moment.

_He sure doesn't seem like he talks to people much. _

I stepped forward and entered the apartment. When I walked in I headed straight to my room.

"Where you goin'?"

"I'm kinda tired from the interrogation. I think I'm gonna go lay down for now."

"Alright, well I'll be- somewhere in the building helping Shadow if you need anything."

"I don't think I will but okay."

He curtly nodded at me once before leaving. I turned back and headed toward my room, glancing at the clock on my way.

_Only 4:00? Well I shouldn't sleep now, Otherwise I'll wake up in the middle of the night. But what can I do in the meantime?_

I closed the door behind me as I walked into my room and sat down on the bed. The box was still partially open where I left it. I leaned over and reached inside it for the hairbrush. Once I retrieved it, I pulled the elastic out of my hair and ran the brush through it.

"Ow!"

I didn't realize there were so many tangles in it before I attempted to brush it. It took a good ten minutes to get rid of them all, but I was happy it was done. I made my way to the bathroom to look at it in the mirror. I liked it a bit better but I still wasn't pleased with it. It was slightly greasy and generally unclean so I just stood there for a moment before going back to my room. I crawled over the bed and opened the box in search of the shampoo. I made my way back to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I removed my shoes with great pain then my sweater. I set the shoes aside and laid my folded sweater on the counter away from the sink. Next, I took off my pants and removed my shirt leaving me practically nude. I removed the last articles of clothing that clung to my body and gently made my way into the shower.

I observed the water temperature handle and turned it barely enough to make a weak trickle of water come out. I put my hand underneath testing it. I turned it further until it felt like a decent warmness. I opened the shower head and let the steamy water rush down my body. At first it shocked me a bit but then it became almost hypnotizing. I felt relaxed and forgot all about what had happened earlier that day. I washed my hair and body thoroughly, leaving me feeling refreshed and comfortable. Once I turned off the tap, I stepped out and grabbed the nearest towel and dried myself off. I wrapped it around my body and picked up all my clothes and tucked them under my arm then hopped over to my crutches.

I realized how hard it was going to be to hold up the towel as well as my crutches and prayed that nothing accidental would happen. I unlocked the door with my free hand and peeked out through the small gap in the door I had opened. There seemed to be no one there so I moved onward through the hall, going as fast as I could without losing my grip on the towel. I'd almost made it to my room when I heard the doorknob of the front door turn. I was so startled by the sudden sound, that I accidentally let go of the towel, allowing it to fall to the floor, leaving me completely vulnerable to embarrassment.

I lunged forward to grab it, trying my best to ignore the screaming agony my ankle was in. I crawled forward on my hands and knees until I reached my room. I then remembered the clothes I dropped and rapidly grabbed them along with my crutches from the hallway. I slammed the door shut and sat up against it, clutching the towel to my bare chest. I was breathing heavily, panting out of anxiety and adrenaline. My ankle had become numb with pain but my body was too hyped up off of fear to instantly react.

"H-Oh... My-ha... God-hah...!"

I could feel the tension that had built up in my body dissipating slowly as I calmed down. I turned around and pressed against the wall for support while getting up then picked up my crutches and made it over to my bed. I reached in the box for underwear and a bra, then put back on my shirt and pants. I took the comb out and combed my pink, messy hair, little droplets flinging everywhere as I pulled and tugged on the tangles. I parted it on the side and dried it once more with the towel. And then I tensed up again.

"Amy?"

_Did he see me? No, if he did he surely would've said something, right?_

I didn't respond hoping he'd think I was already fast asleep. I put the box on the hard, wooden floor and crawled under the covers. I was momentarily aware that the rest of my clothes were bundled up in a smile pile on the floor but decided to deal with them later. With my crutches resting against the dresser, the gleaming metal reflecting the lowering rays from the window as the sun was disappearing over the horizon; I shut my eyes and hoped that tomorrow would be better.

* * *

**Well, what do you think what happened? I didn't want to leave it on a totally sad end so I added that bit just to humor it up a bit! Let me know what your views on this chapter were by either PMing me or leaving a review. Heads up for the next chapter! Drama is on its way over to Sonic and it **_**could **_**get pretty messy! Stay tuned :)**

**-**_**DarkRose**_


	7. Telling Me

_**Hey there readers! I wrote this chapter really quickly because I had ideas flowing in and out of my head incessantly for these last couple of days. I actually switched u what my original idea was for this but I ended up liking this version better so I stuck with it! Please remember to leave a review at the bottom of the page so I know how you are liking the story so far; I appreciate every one of my readers! **_

_**Without further ado, here is chapter seven, please enjoy :D**_

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_Chapter Seven: Telling Me_

"So you gonna tell me what's going on with you?"

"Y-yeah, about that..."

"Come on, man. Just spit it out already!"

"Uh- W-well this is gonna hard for you to hear b-but it's not exactly bad news."

"What is it, damn it! Stop beating around the bush, you've been acting weird for the last week, are you gonna tell me or not?"

I looked up from the table and stared Knuckles straight in the eyes. What I was about to tell him was probably going to be both the best and worst news he's heard since Tikal's disappearance. I'd called to meet up with him because I couldn't possibly go another day carrying this around with me knowing that his entire family has been suffering incessantly, pondering whether or not they'd ever see their tiny relative ever again.

"It all has to do with this girl named Amy."

"Really? Girl troubles? That's what this is about? Geez Sonic, you made me think it was something a little more serious."

"No it's not that and it IS serious Knuckles! Just let me finish."

"Last Tuesday, I was asked to deliver some paperwork for my boss to this small town a ways from Mobius. I'd forgotten about it all day and it was urgent so I went later that evening. The guy thought that it was nice of me to have come all that way for some silly paperwork so he invited me to stay for some coffee and I wanted to be polite so I stayed. By the time I left, it was around 10:30 P.M. and it had started to pour outside. I wanted to get home as fast as possible so I was speeding a little-"

"You didn't hit anyone did you?!"

"What, no... not exactly. Like I said it was rainy and dark and I seemed to be the only one on the road for miles. Anyway, while I was going down the road, I saw something in the distance fall onto the road from the forest's edge. I-I thought it was a tree branch or something 'cause the wind had picked up pretty heavily; but it wasn't. I slowed down to a normal speed but then had to slam on the breaks when I realized it was a person! A girl. I was able to stop the car just in time but she fainted; probably from fright. I swear she came out of nowhere!"

"Shit man! What did you do?"

"I jumped out of the car and picked her up and brought her to the hospital. I waited there the entire day until they told me I could see her. When I finally spoke with her, she told me her name was Amy and that she'd been kidnapped and kept locked away with this man and a few other girls in this cabin in the middle of nowhere. She said she'd been there for 10 years and she's only sixteen. That's like her whole life..."

My head had begun to spin a little as the memories came coursing through my mind like a rampant train. I ran a hand through my blue quills trying to calm myself down a bit; noticing that my hand was shaking slightly.

"...Wow... That's- that's some heavy shit, dude. So what happened to this girl, did they find her parents?"

"Oh it gets even better, she's got no father and her mother suffered so much after her abduction that she went crazy. She's in the asylum up north from here."

"Is she still in the hospital?"

"No, she was discharged on Wednesday morning. I didn't want her to have to go through what me and my siblings went through so I... I'm letting her stay with me Sonia."

"She's at your place? Why? You're not responsible for her."

"I know that but, it still feels like since I found her, I should do something. I mean this girl's been through so much around and I didn't want to just pawn her off to the system."

"That's actually really good of you. So what did your work say?"

"I called and said I had a personal emergency and I haven't been back yet. I'm supposed to go back tomorrow actually. I took the week off after I found her so I could visit her because I didn't want to just leave her alone at the hospital and then I told them that I needed a little more time when she started staying with us. Now all we need to do is have this meeting with a social worker and then everything will be settled."

"I don't know what to say."

"I'm not completely finished though."

_Here it comes. I have to tell him about Tikal. I have to do it right now!_

"Knuckles this has to do with you. It's about-"

*_Buzz. Buzz._*

My phone started vibrating in my pocket so I took it out. It was Fiona and it was 7:10 P.M.

_Shit! Our date, I completely forgot!_

"U-um, hello? Hey Fiona! I-I was just about to call you; yeah I'm stuck in traffic, I'll be there in a bit!"

"_Oh alright, I thought you forgot or something!"_

"Me? Forget? Never. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"_Okay, Blue. See you there."_

_Phew... That was close._

"Hey Knuckles, it turns out I gotta run, but we'll talk soon. See ya."

"Hey, Sonic; we're not done here! What does this have to do with me?!"

"Sorry!"

xXx

I felt bad for ditching Knuckles out of the blue like that and even worse for once again avoiding the opportunity to tell him about Tikal. To be honest, I was scared of how he would react; would he be mad at me for not telling him sooner or would he understand how hard it was to come forth with it? I had to put it all at the back of my mind while I went on my date with Fiona.

"So how is Amy doing?"

"She's doing good. Adjusting, all that stuff. I was going to ask you, when can she take off the brace on her ankle?"

"Not too long; maybe a couple more days. Is she experiencing pain?"

"She's handling it. Anyway, why don't we talk about something else? What have you been up to?"

"Work takes up most of my time. Have you gone back to work yet?"

"I'm going back tomorrow; that should be fun trying to explain this all to my boss..."

"Haha, good luck on that."

"Oh well here's the place."

I'd taken Fiona to a nice restaurant that I'd been to a few times, all the while knowing there would not be a crowd. Since I'd forgotten our plans entirely, I obviously hadn't made reservations. I'd gone home to change into something a little nicer so I was now wearing a pair of black jeans and a clean white shirt. I got out of the car and opened the passenger's door for Fiona. I hadn't noticed earlier but she looked absolutely stunning in the short black dress she was wearing underneath her tight leather jacket. It hugged her body in all the right places without coming off as too provocative. It surely struck me since I was so used to seeing her in her lab coat. I couldn't help but stare a bit as her silver heels clicked on the pavement when she stepped out of the car, her fluffy, red and white tail swooshing past me sensually.

"Wow..."

"What was that?"

"N-nothing! Just- wow you look amazing."

"Hehe, thank you. You don't look too bad yourself there, blue."

"We should head inside, it's pretty cold out here."

"Alright."

She grabbed my and led me inside the restaurant. We found a seat pretty quickly and had a great time chatting over details of our life and basically getting to know each other more. It was almost 9:00 by the time we finished.

"We better get going if you still wanna catch a movie. Most of them start at nine and it's already 8:45."

"I can think of something better we can do instead of going to see a movie."

Fiona gave a mischievous smile and stood up from her seat. I had just enough time to pay the bill and leave a tip before she practically dragged me out of there. She pulled me through the exit ran to the car. I quickly followed after her and opened the door for her but instead of getting in she put her arms around my neck and leaned in towards me. I realized what she was doing and caught her in a lip lock, tasting the hint of cherry from her lip gloss and the wine on her breath. I held her by the waist and pulled her close to my chest, deepening the kiss. She tugged on my quills with one hand leaving the other to travel to my chest. She brought it up to my face and I could feel the warmth radiating from her palm in the cold of night. I placed my own hand over hers and she pulled away for a moment.

"That was-"

"Amazing?"

She finished my sentence for me as took hold of both my hands. Heat was surging through both our bodies, passion coursing through our veins.

"Do you want to continue this at my place?"

That same smile appeared again with one of her eyebrows lifted, and who was I to deny her offer. Next thing I knew, I was speeding down the highway back to her apartment where we had picked up right where we left off.

xXx

I woke with a start to a beeping alarm clock. I was momentarily confused, not remembering where I spent the night. It was very early and I hadn't gotten much sleep. I looked over to my left to see a red fox lying beside with only a thin sheet covering her naked form. I could make out the outline of her tremendous body underneath it, shifting in her spot as she began to stir. Her alarm clock was still going off and eventually she reached out her arm and smacked it off. I sat up and looked over at her.

"Good morning, sunshine."

"Uh, sorry about my alarm. You can go back to sleep if you want but I have to get to the hospital."

"No its fine. I'm already awake and I have to get home and take a shower; I've got work later too."

She sat up groggily and ran a hand through her brown hair. It still looked perfect even after last night. It was just messy enough to form a little bob hairstyle. Her icy blue eyes sparkled in the rays of the sun just as daylight broke the horizon. She looked at me for a moment before coming towards me and trapping me in a kiss that didn't last long enough.

"I'd really like to stay but I have to get ready for work."

Fiona stepped out of bed and revealed her naked bottom as she walked towards her bathroom. On her way there, she bent down and then tossed me my boxers while giggling. She then closed the bathroom door slowly, leaving me alone in her bed. I started to collect my things and get dressed while I heard the distant sound of running water from her shower. I found my phone on her nightstand and decided to see if I had any missed calls.

_What! 5 missed calls! Who the hell could that be?_

I searched through them and saw that Sonia had called twice last night along with Knuckles who had called me repeatedly throughout the night. I put my shoes and jacket on and ran out of the building to my car. I had to get home quick before Sonia got really angry. It took me 15 minutes to pull into the parking lot of my building and 3 to try and come up with a more reasonable story than the truth.

"Where the hell were you! Do you know how worried I was when you didn't answer your phone?"

"Cool it Sis, I'm a twenty year old man, you gotta stop treating me like I'm still a kid!"

"You are just a kid to me! A _real_ man would let his sibling know where he is overnight and answer his goddamn phone once in a while!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I was with a friend very late and decided to spend the night so I wouldn't wake you or Amy by coming in the door at an odd hour."

_Please work, please work, please work!_

"Oh please! I can the cheap perfume on you from a mile away! And don't you ever try and lie to my face again, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

_Damn it, nothing gets past her!_

"Hey, she's a doctor and it was a very special evening that we carried over to this morning."

"Oh whatever! Just get in the shower and scrub that overpowering scent off of you before you smell up the whole apartment. You can't go back to work smelling like that."

"You really are too much, you know that?"

"Just go already."

I knew she only argued with me out of concern but it was as irritating as it was when we were younger. However, our spats are _nothing_ compared to the fights her and Manic get into. They could go on for hours without finding a solution. I'm just glad Amy wasn't up to witness it. What kind of people would she think we are if she thought we fought all the time?

I walked over to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I crawled into the shower and turned on the water to a very high temperature. The water blazed down my body as it ran down in fiery streams. It reminded me of the heat that Fiona and I had created last night. It had been a while since I'd been with a girl I felt a real connection with. She was perfect when I thought of her; intelligent, funny, beautiful, sexy and I couldn't possibly forget passionate! I definitely wanted to see her again. She stayed in my thoughts for a very long time and made me forget completely about my stress with Knuckles. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel off the wall. I dried myself off and shook the droplets out of my messy quills then headed to my bedroom. I got dressed for work in a nice shirt and tie and a pair of dark blue jeans. Then I heard Sonia call me from the kitchen.

"What is it?"

"Don't be surprised if you come home and find Amy gone. I'm getting home at three today and I'm taking her shopping."

"Do you really think that's what she needs?"

"Sonic, I'm taking her because she doesn't have any clothes you moron. I also want her to get used to being around large crowds. She's going to have to deal with it at some point so I thought it's better to just get these little things over with. By the way, did you call back that Acorn woman? She called again last night. Of course, I could've told you this over the phone but you never pick up!"

"Yeah, I'll get on that too. Chill out Ms. Bossy Pants."

"Huh, I'm leaving; I don't want to deal with you anymore."

"Byyye Siiiis!"

I sang the last part out just to annoy her. I liked the idea of Amy integrating back into real life. What I didn't like was me integrating back into work. I sat around for the next couple of hours drinking my coffee and reading last week's newspaper which we still had at my kitchen table. As I was flipping the page, I happened to stumble upon the obituaries. Skimming through the names, I noticed the picture of a younger woman, maybe in her mid-forties. That wasn't the usual age of this section so I decided to read a little bit about her. I instantly froze upon reading the name of the woman. I had no reaction and it felt as though time had stilled. I was uncertain for a moment but then recalled my recognition of the name. It struck me so hard; I said it aloud, almost as a whisper.

"Cherish Rose."

I kept reading on in my head.

_CHERISH ROSE February, 19__th__ 1969 – March, 15__th__ 2013_

_With great sadness, we announce the passing of grieving widow and suffering mother to missing daughter, Amelia Rose, long-time friend of Dr. Grace Carrie and special -care client to Dr. Gregory Johnson. May she rest in peace._

I had absolutely no words left in my mind. My face must have been white as a ghost, all color and hope drained from my expression. After a good period of time spent processing what I had just read, the only thing that was coursing through my brain was,

_How am I going to tell Amy? How can I ever tell her? No, this isn't fair for me to have to break this news to her and this sure as hell isn't fair for her! She never even got to see her. 3 days for fuck's sake! Three days before she was found! No. No, no, NO! I can't tell her, I just can't do it. I can't do that to her. Oh God, what am I gonna do!_

I closed the newspaper and folded it up as small as it would go. I sat it in the same spot for around ten minutes absorbing the shock before I got up and threw the paper in the recycling bin. It was almost time for me to go to work so I walked over to the door, put my shoes and my nicer work jacket on and left. I wouldn't have been able to face Amy that morning; to look her in the eye and tell her that she no longer had any biological family... This was all getting to be too much for me. As I got in my car and drove to downtown Mobius, a million thoughts must've run through my head. I took the long way to get work to buy me some time to clear my head a little. When I pulled into my reserved intern spot in the underground parking lot, I nervously kept glancing at my phone expecting the devil to call me for keeping all these secrets. There was not much else I could do standing in one spot next to my car so I shakily made my way to the elevator that would lead up to my boss's office. I impatiently stood there fidgeting my fingers as the elevator made its way past several floors until it arrived at the 7th floor where one of my co-workers got in. The ding noise that sounded from it startled me and I jumped a bit.

"Hey! You're back, great to see ya. So where'd you go all that time, you haven't been back for almost two whole weeks?"

"U-um, just stuff came up. Look Brad, this _really _isn't a good time so I'd actually prefer to ride up in silence."

"Oh I see, scared you're gonna get canned for missing out on one of the biggest deals of the season, ha!"

"W-what? What deal? What are you talking about, Brad?"

"Oh, good Ol' Tim got all the staff workin' for some big shot company. I tell you now, you of all people would like to have been there, he still hasn't picked the person to lead the team on this project so you'll have to do some major ass kissing if you want a shot at it."

"Thanks for the heads up. *_Ding_* Well have a nice day Brad."

"You too buddy!"

_God that man is annoying as but he sure did give me some leverage on what I'm gonna tell my boss Tim the cocky bastard Hedgehog, one of the highest paying employers in the business! I AM gonna have to do some serious ass kissing if I want that position. If I get that job, I have the opportunity to get a permanent position at this place!_

I tried to focus more on work thoughts rather than remember what I read that morning. It seemed to be working for a while but as I passed by multiple cubicles of people reading their own newspapers, I couldn't help but be reminded of it. I pushed the thoughts away and continued towards my boss's office. I knocked on the hard wooden door and sucked in a sharp breath of anxiety.

"Come in."

"Hey Tim, I'm back."

"Oh, welcome back Sonic. I trust you dealt with your personal issues and won't be missing any more work from now on."

"No it's all dealt with. So Tim, I was wondering if the position for the new-"

"The project manager of the Station Square deal? Yes it is still open. Were you hoping I was considering you for the job?"

"W-well I was sort of hoping that I could still maybe perhaps be in the running for it..."

I started rambling on, looking down and twirling my thumbs while Tim got up from his seat at his desk and slowly came around to the other side to lean against the front of it. As I was waiting for an answer, he slid out his phone as if this conversation was the least important thing in the world to him. I was genuinely feeling like I was about to get fired for taking so many days off on such short notice. I shifted my footing hoping he would say anything at this point.

"You know Sonic, you missed work for the last week and half with no explanation, not that it was necessary but it still doesn't reflect good on you. You missed the meeting with the CEO of the company and now you want me to expect to keep you in the running for the position of the project manager on an assignment that begins next week? Well I have to tell you that the competition for the job is done with and that I've already chosen the person who will take on this role."

My expression depleted and my entire composure had whisked away by the words my boss had just released. This was a one in a million chance for an intern to get the position because if you didn't royally mess it up, you basically had a secure placement at the company.

"...Th-that's alright, I wasn't expecting you to choose an intern in the first place. I'll just get back to work now but, may I just ask who got it?"

"I chose the person this morning actually. Right when you walked through the door. The truth is I was disappointed that the best person for the job had to miss the most important opportunity you could receive at this company and I had already decided who the job would go to. I need the best team for this project Sonic and you are the best. I was just waiting to see if you would catch it on time. Do you accept this role?"

I froze in spot. I had never expected for him to just hand it to me as soon as I got there. I didn't even like advertising that much but I sure as hell was good at it. I stuttered to find my words but they came out all jumbled.

"Th-thank you, Tim! Oh my God, really? Me? I got the project manager job? N-no kissing your ass or begging for the position or anything? Man, I thought you were gonna fire me!"

"Sonic I'm a reasonable man and I know talent when I see it. I know you'll do well and you deserve the job so I am offering you a big chance here."

I was so happy about it I hugged him suddenly making him tense up for a moment.

"Sonic, this is not very professional of you."

"Sorry Tim, I'm just, I'm just ecstatic! I'll head back to my desk right away though."

"Yes do that please. And Sonic?"

"Yeah Tim?"

"Don't make me look like a fool, okay."

"I won't sir, you won't be disappointed."

With that, I head out to my desk and worked for the next three hours straight until it was 1:00 and time for my lunch break. I only went to get a coffee in the staff's lounge because I didn't have much of an appetite after my excitement over my new project and also over what I had read that morning. The words had imprinted in my head somehow and kept forcing their way to the front of my mind. I was seriously struggling to find the words I would use to explain it to Amy.

_Listen Amy, what I'm about to say next... it's going to be tough to here-_

_Amy, I have to tell you something and it's not exactly good news-_

_There's something I need to tell you, Amy. It's about your mom- your mother... I'm really sorry-_

_Ugh this is so hard! Well at least I have the rest of the day to think this through. I should call Sonia and let her know, maybe she can think of something._

I dialed the number to Sonia's work and let it ring until she picked up, which took a while.

"Sonic? What is it, I'm working."

"Um Sonia, I read something this morning that is rally really bad."

"I didn't pick up the newspaper this morning, so whatever you read was old news anyways."

"It was in the obituaries so it doesn't matter how old it is!"

"What? What were you looking at that section for? And who's dead Sonic?"

"...Amy's mother..."

"..."

"S-Sonia? You still there?"

"Oh my God, how are we gonna tell her... huh? Did you think of that before you told me?"

"Of course I did; that's why I called you! I don't know what to do. Do you?"

"I'll figure something out but I'm not telling her at the mall. Today is supposed to make her feel happy and a part of something, not spring it on her that her only family left is dead! Look Sonic, I have to get back to work but I'll call you later when I'm with her."

"Alright then, bye."

I hung up my phone and turned away from the window I was looking out to see my boss standing behind me.

"You alright?"

"Yup. I'm totally fine. Everything's just fine."

xXx

After work, I didn't go straight home. I decided to give Knuckles a call since he'd left me about 5 messages saying that he was going to track me down if I didn't pick up soon. He was desperate to know what I'd tried to tell him the day before now that I'd mentioned it concerned him. I was waiting at The Sapphire when I saw the red Jaguar pull into the parking lot. I'd ordered myself a beer and was about half way through by the time he got there.

"Hey man. You ready to tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"Yeah. Look, you know the girl I mentioned last time, Amy?"

"Yeah the girl who was held captive for ten years, I'm still finding it hard to believe that they wouldn't find her even after all those years."

"Well I also mentioned that there were other girls there with her, other kidnapped girls?"

"Yeah, dude where are you getting at with this? You're not saying what I think you are; no that can't be... it's just not possible..."

"Knuckles, I showed Amy a picture of Tikal and she said she was one of the girls there. I wanted to tell you earlier but- it just never seemed like the right time, something always came up or I got nervous of how you'd react, I mean it's not exactly good news-"

"But it's news! Sonic you kept this from me... for two weeks you knew where my niece was when even her own mother hasn't known where she's been for the last THREE FUCKING YEARS! I can't believe you'd hold this back! You should have told me the minute you found out about it! I don't understand why you, my best friend, would do something like this to me!"

"First off, I haven't even known for two weeks, I found out a couple of days ago and I didn't tell you because I was scared! Do you know how hard it is to deliver news like that to someone? That their relative is being held prisoner and has been for the last three years by some creep in the woods! And don't even get into this Knuckles, 'cause I have a LOT of shit to deal with right now and I definitely do not need more crap from you."

"Crap? Is that what you refer to my anger about this as! I've got shit to deal with too Sonic, starting with telling my sister and her husband of the whereabouts of their daughter which is both great and terrible news because at least we know she's alive."

"Well I have to tell Amy that her mother's dead! Does that count as shit to you, huh?"

"W-what? How do you know her mother's dead?"

"I read it in the paper this morning. Her face is right there in the obituaries. Died two days before Amy was found."

"I-I... didn't know. That poor girl..."

"I know... She's got no one now."

"She's got you. And that means that if you felt that obligation to her before, you sure as hell better have meant it cause you're all she's got."

"..."

_I'm all she's got? I'm all she's got._

I hadn't realized earlier but I was practically in tears over the entire mess of a situation. The alcohol might have also had something to do with it but all it did was make what I've been holding inside rise to the surface. I stood up to leave when Knuckles tried to bump fists with me but instead I just reached over and hugged him.

"Hey, don't get all gay on me now dude!"

I knew he was only joking because he and I both knew we needed it. I left my half drank beer on the table and walked out. I got into my car and drove home. It was around six o'clock when I got home. I walked up the stairs, entered my apartment and looked over to see Sonia holding Amy at the kitchen table where they were both crying their eyes out. Sonia looked at me with sorry expression and I could see Amy's pain reflected in her eyes. I stared at Amy from where I was standing at the door behind her and kept remembering what Knuckles had told me.

_I'm all she's got._

* * *

_**So... That was intense in the end. Sonic finally telling Knuckles about Tikal and finding out that AMY'S MOTHER IS DEAD! What?! Luck just isn't on Amy's side in her life. Hopefully things will get better soon but the only way for you to find that out is to keep on reading, so please stick around! More to come soon :)**_

_**-Dark Rose**_


	8. Losing Me

**Hey, sorry for the sort of long update than my usual speed. I was really discourage for the past several days due to the accusation that was made against me, nevertheless, I will continue on with this story. For those of you who read the message I posted for about a week after I first discovered the now removed review, you know why I took a little longer to post this chapter. Anyway please understand that this story is not stolen from anywhere and that its plot is completely of my imagination. Without further ado, here is chapter 8! Please enjoy and remember to leave a review at the bottom of the page! **

*****_No flames or slanders please*_

* * *

_Chapter Eight: Losing Me_

_I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. I couldn't see anything. For the moment, it was as if I wasn't living anymore. For once everything was going in a good direction; I was starting get my life back in order and then... it all fell apart._

* * *

_(11:18 A.M. – Thursday, March 21st__)_

"Hello? Sonic, you still here?"

_Hm... guess not._

I stepped out of my room and searched the hall. There was no sign of life other than me and the hum from the fish tank on the far side of the living room. I shrugged my shoulders and left my bedroom. I hobbled over to the pantry with my crutches and pulled out a box of cereal, got a bowl and poured the milk. As I was setting it on the table, I leaned my crutches against the table and fetched a spoon. As soon as I turned around, I heard a loud crash and turned back to see my crutches had fallen over once again. I was getting kind of sick of using those crutches; they always got in the way or fell over or something. I hopped over to a drawer, fetched a spoon and sat down at the table. I didn't bother picking them up because they were only going to fall over again.

I ate in silence until I noticed the radio sitting on the counter to my right. I stood up from my breakfast and hopped over to it. I remember _he_ used to listen to the radio on some country station when he wasn't trying to tune in to park ranger station to make sure they weren't approaching the house. I still wasn't used to watching television yet because he would only let us watch it on special occasions and for educational purposes only, otherwise I had no interest in it. Sonic and Sonia's was different than _his_; his was a small one with antennas that he used to have to adjust to get to some fuzzy station whereas their TV was quite large and skinny with no antennas.

Even though I wasn't too attracted to the TV, I was fairly fascinated by their computers. They had three of them in fact; one in both of their rooms and one in the living room. Sonia had showed me how to work the one in the living room the night I got there. She said I could look up anything I wanted to with the power of the internet. I had certainly never used it before and it captivated me how much knowledge one device could hold. I still didn't feel comfortable using it without their permission so I stuck to the radio. It had all sorts of dials and knobs on it that I wasn't too sure how to use it so I just winged it. I flipped the on switch and fiddled with the turn-knobs until I reached a clear station.

"_And the weather of the day is more snow. Looks like Spring isn't coming as soon as we hoped folks!_"

I wasn't in the mood for weather reports at the moment so I messed with it some more.

"_...looks like the stocks are taking another turn-_"

"Blah, blah, blah! I don't care."

I tried one last time and I managed to strike a music station. Music always present in some way in most books that I read but I never had the chance to listen to it growing up. I did however remember listening to music with my mother before I was taken. Little bits of my past were rising up randomly since I was starting to adjust back into life. I started thinking about all the time I had lost and wondered if I'd ever be able to feel accomplished without those years.

"_Alright ,here's a request from a listener that's quite old but still a favorite. Here is Clocks!_"

The lights go out and I can't be saved  
Tides that I tried to swim against  
Have brought me down upon my knees  
Oh I beg, I beg and plead, singing

Come out of things unsaid  
Shoot an apple off my head and a  
Trouble that can't be named  
A tiger's waiting to be tamed, singing

You are  
You are

The minute I heard the tune, I couldn't help thinking it sounded familiar. It must have come out before I'd l was gone.

Confusion never stops  
Closing walls and ticking clocks  
Gonna come back and take you home  
I could not stop that you now know, singing

Come out upon my seas  
Cursed missed opportunities  
Am I a part of the cure?  
Or am I part of the disease? Singing

You are, you are, you are  
You are, you are, you are

And nothing else compares  
Oh nothing else compares  
And nothing else compares

You are  
You are

Home, home where I wanted to go  
Home, home where I wanted to go  
Home, home where I wanted to go  
Home, home where I wanted to go

I felt a bit of an attachment to the song and its lyrics. It's as if they were repeating my feelings right back at me. Lyrics were a type of poetry and I'd read tones of poetry before, but never like that. Lyrics were mixed with music and made to be heard; made to be listened to. Even though they were just words alike any other written work, they were like speeches full of metaphors and tunes, connections and rhythm. Like nothing else. I listened to every other song after that; sitting at the table in awe of how much I missed out on as it dragged me into a world of its own, away from all my problems.

It was only around 1:00 that I actually managed to pull myself away from it and brush my hair and teeth. I picked up my crutches and headed to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth quickly and washed my face. Then I looked at myself in the mirror and brush my tangled hair until I could freely run my hand through it. I then tied it back with an elastic leaving only one strand on each side of my face. I wanted some of my hair to shadow over the scar on my cheek but I guess it would take a lot more than that for it to not show. I ran my finger across it and felt the slight indent it made on my face. I closed my eyes and inhaled sharply and held it. After a couple of seconds, I let it out. But when I looked back into the mirror, I saw _him _standing behind me. I jumped but found myself frozen in place, unable to turn around to see if he was really there.

"Aw Rose, have you cut yourself? How terrible, you were always such a delicate little thing. Here why don't you let me help you? Come back to me Rose, the other girls are waiting for you."

He put his hand on my shoulder and brushed my cheek with his other one. I was so disgusted by his presence that I started to tremble and cry. He then managed to morph into me, so that I was standing at my own side.

"You've ruined your face. You're hideous! That'll never heal; you'll always have that ugly scar on your face!"

In the heat of the moment, I couldn't bare looking at myself any further so I just punched my hand straight through the glass. It shattered instantly leaving streaks of blood to run down my arm and shards scattered across the sink and floor. I gasped and my very vivid vision disappeared; leaving me alone in the mess I had created, my mess of a life. I grabbed the nearest towel wrapped it around my hand while very carefully limping backwards put of the bathroom. I grabbed one crutch off the wall and made my way to the kitchen sink. The pain in my foot was becoming severe but the pain in my hand was worse. I ran water on my hand to wash away the blood before pulling out all the remaining shards. I then dabbed off all the blood with the small towel and then tied it around my hand. I didn't know what to do after that. I just started gasping and letting the tears roll down my face as I tried to think of how to put my life back together. The radio was still playing some silly song in the background so impatiently reached over and shut it off. What was once bringing me joy was now adding to the clotting mass of disturbance that was collecting in my mind. I thought I was finally on the brink of insanity. I leaned against a nearby wall and slid to the floor, cradling my blood soaked hand up against my body as the tears dripped from my face.

I could faintly make out pieces of shattered glass all the way across the apartment, on the floor next to the bathroom where I fractured the mirror into a million pieces. I was gasping for air as I began to conform to hysteria. It was pretty evident that my mind had casted away all forms of calm and I was sucked into some sort of chaotic dystopia that caused the hallucination. I was still so sure that _he _had really shown up behind me, but then I saw myself... As clear as day, I was beside myself, or at least the hate in me had manifested into an entity of pure loathing.

_Did I really feel that way about myself inside? Or am I just going crazy? What's happening to me?!_

The tears had stopped flowing but that was only because I started to hyperventilate. I leaned forward, still clutching my wrapped-up, bleeding hand to my chest and started to crawl forward using my other hand. I only realized that I was subconsciously bringing myself toward the door. I was in such a state of madness that only then, did I come to notice the vigorous pounding on the door. I used the door handle to lift myself up and glanced through the peephole. I couldn't see much through my dazed eyes, so I opened the door ever so slightly, leaving the chain locked in place. Who I saw came much to my surprise. It was that strange neighbor, Shadow. He looked a bit menacing through the crack in the door; his red eyes piercing venomously at me. This made me a bit reluctant to announce my presence but seeing as I wasn't in the best shape to be dealing with stuff on my own, I decided to ask for some help.

"H-hello?"

"What the hell was that smash I just heard? It sounded like a window busted or something! Are you okay?"

"I-it wasn't a-a window... and I-I need help..."

I closed the door and unlocked the chain to open the door wider. All I did was remove the towel from my hand and lift it in front of me for him to see. His expression changed instantly and he stepped all the way in the apartment. He then gently took the blood covered towel from my other hand and wrapped it around my cut up hand. It wasn't bleeding as much as it was before but I could make out the tiny shards that were still penetrating the surface of my skin; making it sting all over.

Shadow led me to the couch and told me to stay there while he would get something for it.

"You're gonna be okay, don't worry."

He walked out of the apartment and came back quickly with a harsh scenting, alcohol-soaked cloth, some gauze and medical tape. He took my in his and delicately wiped the remaining blood away while disinfecting it. It hurt a lot while he was pressing on all the scrapes in my palm, increasing the stinging sensation, but it was also sort of soothing. I pulled back for a minute to try and remove the remaining pieced that were lodged in the surface and then allowed him to wrap the gauze around it and tape it up. I looked up to face him and saw the questions spilling from his eyes. I didn't even know what to say. I wasn't at all prepared to explain to someone I barely knew just how crazy I was.

"Well now that you're all patched up, you mind telling me what happened? As soon as I heard something break very loudly, I rushed over here."

"I-I'm not sure what happened. I-I don't know why but I had some- hallucination of some sort and I accidently- in the moment punched my fist through the mirror in the bathroom. Please don't think I'm crazy, I- it's never happened before. I don't even know what happened."

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I stammered through my very unstable explanation. My mind must've been racing at an infinite speed, trying to make sense of everything that escalated up to this point. One minute I was enjoying some music and the next I was shattering myself into a billion shards and winding up a bloody mess as well as obliterating my reflection. I let my unwanted thoughts drift me off into another world while Shadow was attempting to regain my attention. I was very lost and was struggling to find my way back.

"Hey, are you with me? God, I don't even remember your name... Can you remind me again?"

"Amy. My name is Amy. Can you help me? My ankle is still in a brace and I can't clean up what's left of the mirror by myself. I promise I'll make up for it somehow, when my ankle's healed. Can you?"

"You don't need to do that. I'll just go fetch a broom from my apartment and I'll be back. Don't worry about it. Just lay down for a bit and don't exhaust yourself. You've lost some blood so you shouldn't move too much."

"Oh, okay."

I was still holding the towel in my hand until Shadow slowly removed it from my grip. He left for about five minutes and then came back with a broom and dust pan. I only observed as he closed the apartment door, walked calmly towards the littered floor and swept it all up until it looked as if it had never happened. He located the garbage can and through away the remnants of the mirror. He then approached the couch and sat down next to me. The look he gave me was one of sympathy.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay on your own?"

"Y-yeah, it was just one time thing. I hope."

"Alright, well I gotta get to work so I'll see you around."

"Wait!"

"What is it?"

"Don't tell anyone what happened. I-I'll think of something to explain it, but please, please promise me you won't mention any of this!"

"I won't if you don't want me to."

"Thank you... for everything. I really appreciate it."

"What are neighbors for if they can't lend a hand once in a while, heh?"

That left me smiling until after he left and I was on my own again.

_Wow. My first day alone and I manage to destroy something within the first few hours and have to beg for help. At least my ankle's not bothering me as much today._

I got up from the couch and limped over to the crutch I had left in the kitchen and used it to get back to the bathroom to fetch the other one. The minute I looked inside the bathroom, I felt the pressure of guilt rise up inside my stomach, my heart lurching at the site of the frame with only several shards remaining in place. A large piece jutted out from the side and for some reason, I pulled it from its spot. I looked at my reflection in the small piece; seeing only my bright green, reddened eyes and the tip of my nose, it was then that I noticed the small drop of blood hanging off the sharp edge. I wiped it away, erasing all trace of its existence. I wondered if I could be wiped away so easily; simply forgotten in everyone's memories.

I stepped out of the bathroom, only using one crutch to get to my room. I walked very steadily trying my best to avoid putting pressure on the tender sections until I reached the nightstand next to the bed. I opened the drawer that I had never bothered to check beforehand but found it was empty. Seeing this as an opportunity to fill it again, I put the shard of mirror in the drawer and closed it.

xXx

_(3:22 P.M. – Thursday, March 21st__)_

Sonia unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment, calling to me a minute later.

"Amy! Come on we have to go soon, before it gets too late."

"What? Where are we going?"

I had absolutely no idea where she was suppose to be bringing me. She hadn't spoken to me about going somewhere important today so I was understandably confused.

"The mall, silly. I'm going to bring you shopping for stuff and also to get you used to the environment a little bit."

"Oh. Okay, if you think that'll help."

"Of course it will help. The mall helps everyone!"

"Um, alright, but Sonia there's something I need to tell you... something that might sound kinda bad."

"What is it, Amy?"

"I accidentally... broke the mirror in the bathroom. Please don't be mad! I swear, I didn't do it on purpose, it just sort of happened. I'm so sorry, really I am."

She didn't answer, just walked over to the bathroom and looked inside. To my relief, she came back smirking and chuckling a little.

"It's alright, Amy. You even cleaned it up with your ankle like it is. It's not really a big deal, but just out of curiosity, how did it happen?"

_Oh no. Should I tell her about my hallucination or should I just make something up. I don't want her to think I'm crazy, though. But how do I explain my hand?_

"I sort of tripped and I smashed my hand through it when I fell forward."

"*gasp* Is your hand okay?"

"Y-yeah, I got it patched up and got all the pieces out."

"Oh my God, are you sure you're okay? How did you manage to pick up all the shards that fell on the floor in that state?"

"I used a towel to sweep them up and then threw them in garbage."

"I hope you're not in too much pain. Do you still want to go to the mall, 'cause we can go another day if you want."

"No, no that's not necessary! I want to go. Please let's just forget about it."

I smiled at her with my most positive looking expression, hoping to distract her from the incident. She smiled back warmly and grabbed her car keys.

"Alright, just get dressed and we'll head out!"

xXx

_(4:30 P.M. – Thursday, March 21st__)_

Once we got to the mall, Sonia made me go into what felt like every shop in the entire building. It was uncomfortable in the first few stores; I felt like everyone was watching me all the time and the crowds were making me a tad claustrophobic. I hated the way stranger's bodies would be brush up against you like it wasn't a total invasion of personal space. It was something that I would only get used to with time.

At around 4:25, Sonia dragged me to the other side of the mall where she claimed she had made me a 'hair appointment'. I wasn't even entirely sure what it meant at first but I got the idea once we stepped into the salon. I had never had my hair cut by a professional before and I was a bit nervous. How was I supposed to trust a total stranger to use scissors near my face and neck? The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to be there.

"Okay Amy, I know this is something new to you but please, just give it a try, alright? I promise you'll feel really good when it's all done! You'll have a whole new look."

I nodded. I knew she was right about having a new look; it was just what I needed to get the reminder of the vision out of my head. So I stepped forward with my one crutch, my other hand too occupied by pain, and I sat down in the seat that a hairdresser pointed me to.

It felt strange to be receiving all this treatment that I'd never gotten before. It didn't stop me from feeling guilty about lying to Sonia though; in fact it made me feel worse. But for the time being, I tried to look enthusiastic about it all. It was all I could've done to make up for it. I got kind of anxious while the woman was washing my hair; afraid she would burn me or, with my neck tilted back like that, it would be the perfect position to cut my throat out. I tried thinking about the music playing in the background to calm myself of these delusions. I was breathing shallow, quick breaths throughout the entire time she was washing my hair. It seemed like such a ridiculous thing to be nervous about, but at the time, it was very hard to trust people. She moved me to a new seat in front of a large, thick-framed mirror. She let my hair down from the towel and let the wet strands fall all over my face. Feeling the small droplets of water that clung to my hair, then latching onto my face, it reminded me of that night in the rain. The night I escaped. I closed my eyes and I suddenly plunged back into the memory.

_The cold, damp forest; the dark undergrowth, the shadows of all the trees, gripping to my body, rain pelting down in my face, swallowing me in my mind fabricated of fear and anxiety until I lose myself entirely-_

"Amy? You don't need to be nervous, I'm right here. She's just going to cut your hair, not you."

My eyes burst open, too sensitive for the lights' brightness. I gasped a little too loudly as Sonia startled me out of my decrepit reminiscence.

"Huh? What did you say? Sorry I zoned out there for a minute."

"Yeah, I could tell. Where were you just now?"

"I was- here... And in the forest."

"Oh, I see. It's nothing to be worried about, you're going to have flashbacks once in a while. I read it the other night in some articles on coming back from harsh situations. It's PTSD."

"PTSD? What's that?"

"Post traumatic stress disorder. It's extremely common with cases like yours."

"Really? So I'm not going crazy, haha?"

"No, not in the slightest. Now why don't we have a look at what the lovely woman did with your hair while we were talking?"

I could see she had given me bangs and had cut it a little shorter, with some layers in it. It was still wet however and she was about to dry it.

"I'm gonna go call Sonic to let him know where we are, while she dries your hair. And Amy?"

"Yeah?"

"Everything's going to be just fine."

With a quick smile, she walked out of the salon and stepped into the corridors of the mall. The hairdresser then turned on the hairdryer that drowned out all surrounding noises, which I was grateful for because it also blocked out all my thoughts and left me in piece for the moment. It took about ten minutes for her to dry it and style it with her fancy brushes and combs. When she finished, I barely recognized myself; I was used to my tangled, unstyled pink mop. Now it was nicely placed just past my shoulders, all straightened and fluffy with front bangs that swept over to the left at the tips. I had to say, I liked it a lot. A little while after I gawked at myself in the mirror, Sonia came back in the salon.

"Oh my God! Amy, it's so beautiful; you look like a totally different person!"

"Really? I like it a lot. Thank you so much Sonia."

I got out of the seat and hugged her. It felt good to be taken care of after such a long time of trying to take care of myself.

"You're very welcome, Amy. I'll just be over at the cash to pay for it."

"Oh you look so beautiful, it's on the house!"

The hairdresser surprised us when she spoke.

"I own the salon and I couldn't help overhearing that you've just gone through something traumatic. Now I don't want to pry, but I could sense how nervous you were throughout the entire process. You don't need to pay for it."

"Really are you sure?"

"Yes, its fine. Have a nice day!"

Sonia looked at me with a smile on her face. I grabbed hold of my crutches and we departed the mall.

xXx

(_5:26 P.M. - Thursday, March 21st_)

I noticed on the drive home that Sonia's mood had changed a bit and she seemed to possess a sense of worry. Her face was blank as if she was in deep thought and she barely spoke to me in the car. I thought it very strange since she was so enthusiastic about everything beforehand.

_Now that I think about it, maybe she was a little too giddy before; as if she was trying to cover something up._

It wasn't until we got home that she had given an answer to the question that had been lingering in my mind.

"Listen Amy. There was something that I was told today that may be kind of hard for you to hear."

We were only walking through the door, carrying in all the things she had bought me. I had going to drop off the bags in my room when she had asked me to come to the kitchen. I followed slowly behind her.

"You should probably sit down for this."

"What do you mean, Sonia?"

"I mean that something happened before you were found that's some bad news."

"Tell me. Don't beat around the bush. What happened did my mother die or something?"

"..."

She opened her mouth as if she were about to say something but then closed it. Then she nodded her head. The mood of the room instantly switched to one of sadness. That's when I realized that I had hit it, spot on. I didn't know what to feel at first; my body only froze with understanding that I no longer had any family. The emotions only kick in later. I just sat in the chair and stared into space. There was nothing left to say. My mother was dead and I was alone. Alone and troubled; the perfect combination for disaster.

The tears started rolling down my cheeks before I even noticed they were there. Sonia leaned forward and held me as a comforting gesture. Sonic walked in through the front door just time to witness my breakdown.

* * *

_Nothing could be done about it; I had no choice but to move on. Yet the only thing that lingered in my mind was how much I missed the one person who I briefly remembered from my past. The one who held the string attaching me to the person who I was before; all gone. That little girl who I used to be; who used to be me. I wasn't that happy child playing in the park, listening to the radio, drawing or running around, learning everything I could. No. Not anymore. That Amy was gone from this world and left only in memory, to and replaced by a lifeless body of self destruction and fear. There wasn't anything left of me. So I just sat there and cried; not only because I had lost my mother but mostly because I had lost myself._

* * *

**So this is a very sad point in Amy's life; gaining back her life and expecting it to somehow go back to normal then finding out everything she left behind was lost. Please inform me on how you are finding the story in the reviews or PM me; it helps a lot to motivate me to write more! Peace for now!**

**-**_**DarkRose**_


	9. Understanding Me

_**Hey I got another chapter for you guys! I just want to thank everyone who continues to read this story and those who review are awesome! I pulled an all-nighter to write this one because that's just what I do! Anyway, no more talking! Here you go.**_

_Chapter Nine: Understanding Me_

It was about a week after we told Amy about her mother's death. I contacted that doctor Grace Carrie that first told Amy about her mother's whereabouts and informed her of the tragedy. She called the day before saying she was holding a memorial service for Cherish Rose at her house. I had also scheduled the meeting with the social worker for later on that day; after we would return from the service. Amy wasn't too sure about going; she hadn't really been acting like her usual self by I couldn't blame her with all that went on. Sonia had convinced her that it would be goo to converse with the people that knew her mother during her disappearance. I felt so bad for Amy and with all of the events that occurred; it was hard to be excited about my new position at my job. If I landed that spot on a permanent team, I wouldn't need to go back to school later on because I'd already have a career ahead of me. I was burst out of my thoughts when Sonia knocked on the door as I smoothed out my black suit jacket.

"You ready to go?"

"Just about. Where's Amy?"

"In her room. She's not very responsive today, which is understandable. I hope things get better from now on. I don't know how much else she can handle. Things need to just blow over and calm down for a while."

"Who knows, maybe that Acorn woman can help us after she comes over today for that meeting."

"Yeah. Well, we better get going if we don't want to be late."

"I'll go get her."

I walked out of my room and knocked on Amy's door, then turned the knob lightly, just opening it a crack.

"Amy, we've gotta go now. You ready?"

"Yes."

She got up from her bed and limped forward, grabbing her black leather jacket on the way there. She had just gotten her brace removed the other day but was still recovering from the injury. She was wearing a black dress that was tight around her upper body flared out slightly at her waist with black tights and black lace up ankle boots. Sonia had bought her a bunch of stuff last week at the mall as well as a haircut that changed her appearance greatly. The scar on her cheek was almost invisible at this point but she still seemed to dwell on its discoloration in her skin. Regardless of everything that was going on, she seemed to be looking a lot better, but on the inside was totally different.

xXx

"Oh Amy, dear! I'm so happy you were able to come. You look a lot better than that fragile little girl in the hospital bed a few weeks ago."

Grace had walked up to us and smiled weakly at Amy who only stared blankly at the wall behind her.

"Amy, I can't tell you how sorry I am for your loss. It's terrible that it happened so soon before you were found. Why don't I introduce you to some of the people who knew your mother before she passed."

She took Amy's hand and led her to a group of people in the far corner of the living room. I walked over to Sonia who was talking to some old man who I understood, in overhearing as I approached, was the doctor who looked after Cherish in the asylum.

"She was such a kind woman. Truly revolved her world around the memories of her daughter. It's so sad that she never got to see her before she departed this world."

"Hello, I'm Sonic; I'm Sonia's brother, we're taking care of Amy since she no longer has any family. You were Cherish's doctor, correct?"

"Correct. As I was telling your sister, I treated Ms. Rose for years before her poor heart finally gave out."

"What do you mean her heart gave out; did she have a heart-attack?"

"Some say she died of a broken heart; that it was so filled with sadness and loss that one day, it just stopped suddenly. They couldn't fins the proper cause exactly for why it stopped, it just... did. She just didn't wake up that morning."

"That's awful. Um, Doctor-"

"Coyle."

"Dr. Coyle, can you do me- us a favor and don't mention the details to Amy if you happen to speak with her. She's still processing the whole thing and I don't think that it'll bring her any closer to closure than acceptance will."

"Surely Amelia would want to know everything about her mother."

"Yes but unless she asks directly, do you think you could omit that information, slightly?"

"As you wish."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. I'll see you around."

I was happy Sonia had thought of asking him that. She was always better at dealing with dark subjects than I. I glanced around the room and caught sight of a little pink hedgehog looking uncomfortably caught in a conversation with old friends of her mother; strangers to her. I strutted over there to see what they were talking about.

"This one time, I think you were about three at the time Amy, we went on a road trip and we were so stubborn that we refused to ask for directions, haha. We got so lost, it took us hours to find the main road again and ended up coming right back home! Isn't that just hilarious?"

"Where was I at this time?"

"You were at home being babysat by Grace. See she only had two more days vacation left and even though she wanted to spend the rest of them at home, I convinced her to come with me to this place we'd been thinking about going to since we were in college."

"So what you're saying is, you convinced my mom to go with you on some silly trip when she only had 48 hours left to spend with me at home. Two days isn't much when you look at ten years."

"Oh Amy, that's not what I meant to have done at all, it's just that I thought your mother was in need of a little relaxation at the time. Can I just say how amazing it is that you're back! Everyone here was grieving alongside your mother when you disappeared. We're all so happy that you're safe!"

I watched the woman hug her but Amy's eyes just looked surprised and she didn't hug the woman back. After that, I decided that I should distract her before something really upset her.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Everyone here is acting like they were such good friends of my mother's and they're telling me all the things they did together when they were younger but did any of them go and visit her when she was admitted to the psych ward? No. Were any of them beside her while I was missing or helped out in any way? No. None of them really cared; they never really cared! You here that?! None of you really care! So why are you even HERE!"

"Amy! Keep your voice down, come on let's go talk somewhere in private."

I pulled her by the arm into an empty hallway.

"What is the matter with you? I know how hard this is, but that is no reason to act like that or say those things."

"Don't you get it? I don't have any family left! I don't have anyone anymore! I'm all alone."

Fresh tears started to form in her eyes, threatening to spill at any moment. She hugged her arms around herself and hung her head. I felt bad for saying what I did so harshly. I put my hand on her shoulder and lifted up her head with my other hand.

"You are not alone. You have me and Sonia and we can be your family if you want that."

She looked up and just nodded simply, and then a little smile appeared on her face.

"Really? I think I'd like that. All I want is to belong somewhere. I want to forget about the last ten years and just be a normal teenage girl. I've read all these books about how regular teenagers act and I feel so different. I don't want to let my past rule my left or hang over my head in every situation."

"Of course I mean it. We'll be here for you through all of it until you tell us to stop."

"Alright. Thanks for that."

"Well, let's get back then."

She wiped her eyes and then followed slowly behind me. That progressive moment was short lived as I could see Amy's temper rising as some other person engaged her in another unwanted conversation.

"You know, your mother was so concerned about you all the time, it's so strange that she let you disappear so easily."

"Shut up already! If all you have to say is bad things about my DEAD mother, then get out of here!"

I ran to stop her from doing anything else but I was too late. She shoved the woman back and ran out the front door. I quickly followed behind her but Grace stepped in front of me.

"Why don't you let me handle this one. I know it's under different circumstances but I have a daughter who was once a teenager. Sometimes the stress is overbearing."

I just nodded my head and let her pass by me. She closed the door behind her but I pressed my ear against the door and eavesdropped. If that was going to be a normal occurrence, I would have had to learn some tips on how to deal with it.

"Amy, I know you're hurting inside but just remember that everyone is here because they cared for your mother at one point in time and felt it necessary to pay their respects. Not everybody understands what you're going through though and you have to try and stay calm-"

"I don't wanna stay calm! I wanna scream and yell at people and cry out everything I can't find the words to say properly! The only person that I had in my memory was my mom and she's fucking gone! Even thought there are people that say they care for me, I can't hold it in any longer; I don't want to be helped! I don't there to be a reason I need help. Nothing they say or do will change the fact that I was kidnapped and held prisoner for ten years with a crazy man that never told us his name! He would threaten us if we tried to leave and then laugh at how helpless we were! He used to say all these things like he was our parent or something and even though we never really got hurt, we lived in fear for every single day of our lives! And I left them there, the girls that became my family after all that time, I just abandoned them and now I don't even know if they're dead or alive! I don't want a new family, I just want them back and I want to forget it ever happened!"

I removed my ear from the door slid down the wall next to it. I exhaled the breath I wasn't even aware I was holding and along with it I let out a couple of tears of my own. She had let out everything she was holding in since she got there, and it was just so sad. I hadn't the slightest idea as to what she was really feeling and it left me in awe of how strong she must've been to bottle that up for so long. I searched the house for Sonia and told her that it was time to go. We walked outside and thanked Grace for everything and then left.

Nobody said a word in the car ride home. We were in Sonia's car so she was driving when my phone started to ring. I was frustrated because it was probably the worst time for a phone call. It was Fiona.

"Hello?"

"_Hey there, sexy. What are doing tonight?"_

"Oh hey, look this is a really bad time, can I call you later?"

"_Oh. Yeah of course. You know I probably shouldn't even be on the phone right now anyway; I've got stuff to do so I guess I'll just talk to you later then. Bye."_

"Alright, bye."

It was Saturday so she wasn't working; I wondered if she was honestly busy or trying to guilt trip me into something. I like her a lot and we'd gotten pretty close but ever since the death news, we hadn't seen each other much. Today wasn't really an option though because whether she liked it or not, Amy needed us. She wasn't able to handle any of this in her own.

xXx

"So tell me, Amy, how are you liking it here so far?"

"It's great, actually. I'm settling in really nicely, but you know it's still hard adjusting to the change and all."

"Great, great. So do you feel comfortable around here, are you getting everything you need?"

"Yup. Everything's great."

"Alright, so I see you're off crutches, have you gone to visit your mother yet?"

Everything was still in that moment as if time was frozen. Amy just stared at Sally, unblinking as if she was temporarily blind. I spoke next to save Amy the trouble of having to explain the terrible news.

"Um, we found out around a week or so ago that Cherish had passed on a little while before Amy was found."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Amy. Are you processing well? I know this is a very difficult for you and you must be struggling a lot."

"It's- tough. I mean, I only pictured her in my memory and then I was supposed to see her but now that's kind of impossible. She was my only attachment to who I was but now that she's gone, I guess that part of me is gone too..."

"Well, you seem to be taking it well. That's always a good sign. Are you certain you don't have any relatives or godparents that you know of, just for reference in case you wish to be with your family?"

"No. No, there's no one."

"Alright, well I think that's all I need to know for now. We'll have to schedule a meeting in about a month unless something comes up, but for time being, I'll just keep you posted. Have a nice day Amy and I truly am sorry about your mother."

"I'll walk you to the door."

I got up from my seat in the living room and walked her out into the hall but instead of saying her goodbyes she pulled me aside and asked me to stay for a while.

"Listen Sonic, I didn't want to ask all this in front of Amy but I need to know some details before I finish the official report."

"Ask away."

"How are you and your sister financially?"

"We're okay, we both have steady paying jobs, I just got promoted at mine. We're good in that department. Anything else?"

"I read that your family has had a history in the government system so I'm sure you are fully informed on that subject; so are you clear on terms that your family will be monitored with several visits per year just to secure the safety of the child; that's policy."

"That's fine too; we are completely open to any questions you have. Is that all?"

"One more question; are you free next Friday night?"

I was openly shocked at her question. I wasn't sure if she was serious or not when I heard it.

"Come again?"

"Are you free Friday night? It's a simple question."

"Y-yeah, I guess. What is this about?"

"Just don't make plans for then. Consider it a- business meeting. We still have things to discuss."

"Oh. Alright."

She smirked at me then walked towards the elevator. I was still confused about the entire thing but the last thing I wanted to do was upset the woman who controlled whether or not Amy would stay with us so I went along with it. When I walked back in, Sonia had a puzzled gaze upon her face.

"What were you two talking about outside?"

"Don't freak out but, I think she just asked me out."

"What?! Are you sure?"

"Well, let's see; her exact words were '_are you free Friday night?'_ Now personally, Friday night isn't exactly the best business discussion hour, don't you think?"

"That's weird. Maybe you should call the agency and ask them to put someone else on the case. What did you say back to her?"

"I said I was free. What harm could it do to go out for drinks or something?"

"But aren't you seeing that other girl? And on top of that, sleeping with her?"

"I am not going to do anything with Sally, alright?"

"So you're on a first name basis with her already? You're ridiculous Sonic. Just whatever you do, don't piss her off."

"Cool it, will ya?"

"Fine. I'll drop it. But don't fuck it up."

"Uh! Can we talk about something else now?"

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that I saw Amy have two outbursts within the same hour and I'm surprised _you _didn't come up with this yet, but I think we should bring her to therapy."

"A psychologist? How much is that going to cost?"

"None at all. I've got a friend who just happens to be teen psychologist."

"Who?"

"You'll see."

I'd gotten the idea right after I heard Amy's emotions running at their highest. All I had left to do was ask the therapist herself if she was willing.

xXx

"Thanks for coming."

"Well if you hadn't asked, I would have offered anyway! After Knuckles told me about you girl, the first thing that I thought of was that I could enlist her as one of my patients."

"So you're willing to do it for free, two hours a week?"

"Of course! That poor girl has all those troubles on top of hormones? That's like a recipe for misery."

"Thanks. It means a lot. So hey, where is Knuckles tonight?"

"He's working tonight. He has a busy schedule this week."

"Did he tell you about uh- Tikal?"

"Are you kidding? He won't stop talking about it with his sister and mom and all his family. I'm so happy that she's okay well, alive even after all these years but ,I mean he's so preoccupied with informing all his relatives that he's hardly ever around anymore and I'm missing him a lot lately. But I can't say anything because it's his niece and she's still in danger and I want more than anything for her to be found but I also feel guilty and wrong to want more of him. "

"I think that it's totally normal, Rouge. It's not selfish because you haven't acted on it but it's not wrong to feel that way either. Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"No way. I don't want him to think that I don't care about her! I do, I just care about him too, you know? Anyway, let's just drop it for now and get back to Amy. Now Knuckles told me her entire story, is there anything else you wanted to discuss before I take her in on a professional level?"

"Well last week I found out her only living relative, her mother, passed away several days before I found her."

"*Gasp* Oh that poor little girl. She's been through enough traumas for one lifetime, wouldn't one think?"

"Yeah and that's why I'm so happy you're doing this. She really needs this and I need her to adjust to everything and I don't think that she's comfortable enough yet to discuss it in full length with us so that's why I thought it might be a better idea to let her talk to someone in total privacy."

"Of course; it's what I've been doing for a living for the last two years."

"Has it been two years already?"

"Almost. A month and half to go and I will have officially graduated two years ago!"

"Congrats. I got promoted to be the project manager of this big project and if they like what I do, then I have a permanent position at the company."

"Wow, that's awesome! Congrats to you and good luck on that job."

Rouge's phone vibrated and she stood up, gathering all her belongings then put her coat on.

"I'm really sorry to rush out on you like this but Knuckles wants to meet up right now and this is something he only does once in a while now. It was really nice seeing you though and you can count on me for Amy!"

"Bye Rouge!"

I was honestly relieved that she accepted it so fast. It took a lot of pressure off of my shoulders to know that the struggles Amy was keeping inside were going to be dealt with by a professional who could understand better that I would.

I had met Rouge at a coffee shop close to my apartment and was just about to leave when I got a text from Fiona.

_Fiona - Meet me my place in 10. ;)_

I laughed a little at her persistence but gladly accepted as I popped a mint into my mouth, headed out the door and into my car, already on my way to her apartment. I decided not to tell Fiona anymore details about Amy's life to keep their lives as separate as possible because of how odd it would seem to Amy to announce this relationship that she has no idea exists. I got to her place at around 6:30 P.M. She was standing on her balcony in a silky black robe, her hair in sexy curls and her bright red lips forming a pouty smirk as she signaled for me to come upstairs. I parked my car and ran up her stone steps, the buzzer already going to let me into her apartment.

I made my way up the indoor staircase that led to her bedroom and found her already lying on the bed, the robe now untied revealing her in a black lace bra and matching panties. I took off my coat and threw it on the floor as well as the rest of my clothes. We then plunged into the sheets and I forgot about everything that wasn't Fiona Fox.

A couple of hours or so later, we found ourselves bored enough to be motivated to go out somewhere. She suggested this new club that just opened up in downtown Mobius.

"Sure thing, babe. That sounds like fun."

"Really? Oh, you're the best!"

She jumped into my arms with glee; for such a professional at her job, she was pretty good at winding down. There was such a fun side to her personality that I bet none of her coworkers were aware of and I was glad to know that I was able to know this version of Fiona. We headed out at around 10:00 P.M. since, with traffic on a Saturday night, we'd only get there at around 10:30. I was still wearing my white shirt and dark-wash jeans with my black leather belt, while Fiona had changed into a tight, short red strapless dress that managed to show off every single one of her curves. She wore her tight leather jacket on top and paired it with black leather stilettos that reach all the way up her thigh.

When we stepped out of the car in front of the club called "Circus". We were greeted by an extravagant line up that wound around the block. I looked over at Fiona with a disappointed frown but she quickly changed the mood.

"Oh don't give me that look! _We _aren't going to wait for these people to get in first, I've got a plan. Come on!"

"What? How are we-"

"Don't ask just play along!"

She grabbed my hand and led me down the sidewalk as we passed all the other people in the line up. She strutted up to the bouncer, who was a big, tall bulldog dressed in all black and looking menacing. Fiona only stood in front of him then whistled and waved to get his attention.

"Excuse me! Me and friend here want to get in; do you think you could make that happen, big guy?"

She was speaking in a baby voice and acting all cutesy to try and persuade him.

"I'm sorry miss but you're going to have to wait in line like everyone else."

I saw her expression and knew that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"But you see, I'm just a heart-broken little girl who's only looking for a little fun after a very agonizing week."

She started to fake cry and I actually wondered whether or not she had taken acting lessons in the past.

"Miss, I'm sorry but it's policy."

With that said she busted out the big guns and unzipped her jacket, revealing her very visible cleavage. She then pushed her arms closer together, squeezing her chest and making a pleading look at the bouncer.

"Pretty please?"

"Oh alright. Right this way, miss."

"My friend too!"

She grabbed my hand and I followed her into the club leaving numerous amounts of people infuriated outside. When we entered through the doors, we were instantly hit by the vibrations of the loud dance music. We went to coat check and left our stuff there, then headed to the bar. I ordered a shot of tequila while Fiona ordered an extra sour apple martini. She asked me if I wanted to taste it so I accepted but regretted it the minute the substance made contact with my taste buds.

"Ah! How can you drink that! It's so sour."

"Hehe, that's how I like it!"

In a flash, she then dragged me out onto the dance floor and pulled me closer to her she swayed her hips to the beat of the fast paced music. That went on for what seemed like forever; dancing endlessly while she ordered drink after drink. By 2:30 A. M., we were outside on the sidewalk while I held her hair back as she puked. I didn't drink much after my first two shots and the tipsiness had already worn off quite a bit. Fiona on the other hand didn't handling her alcohol too well.

"I-It's been such a *_hic_* long time since I *_hic_* drank that much!"

"I think I can tell. Come on we better get you home."

"Y-yeah, th-that's a good *_hic_* idea."

Fiona dozed off in the car on the way home and I had to carry her up the stairs and unlock her door with her keys and put her in her bed. I took off her jacket and placed it on a chair near her bed as well as removing her thigh-highs and placing them on the floor near the door way. I then left, making sure the doors were locked and the lights were off.

xXx

It was Sunday around noon when I woke up to find Sonia gone and Amy in her room with the door closed, probably still sleeping. I stumbled into the bathroom and washed my face. When I looked up, expecting to see my reflection, I was shocked to find an empty wall with only a nail and a couple of spots where the paint had peeled off. I was immediately alarmed, wanting to know the whereabouts of the mirror. I walked to the kitchen and phoned Sonia.

"Hello?"

"Sonic?"

"Yeah, it's me. Where are you?"

"I'm on my way home, a friend from work wanted to meet up with me this morning, that's all. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, but do you know what happened to the mirror in the bathroom?"

"Oh yeah. It broke. I was gonna pick one up today actually."

"How did it break?"

"Long story, I'll tell you when I get home. I'm driving so I can't really talk to you. I'll see you later, bye!"

She was speaking so fast I could barely understand her and she hung up before I could say anything back. I clicked the receiver down in its spot and sat down at the kitchen table. It was silent until I heard a door open and small footsteps nearing me from down the hall.

"Good morning, Amy."

I heard a pause the in the steps before they began again. She appeared around the corner and approached the kitchen table. As she sat down, I could tell that she had been crying before because her eyes were glassy and red and the skin around it was puffy with dark circles around them.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Not really."

She laid her head down on her hands which were crossed on the table. Even though it was late in the day and it appeared that she had slept for a long time, Amy still looked exhausted.

"I'm sorry about that. Um, I wanted to talk to you about something."

She lifted her head of the table and looked at me with a tired and blank gaze.

"What would that be?"

"I have this friend and she's really great at what she does. I was just wondering if you might want to see her for a little while."

"I'm confused. What does she do?"

"She's an adolescent psychologist."

"No way. I don't need some stranger to tell me what to do about my problems; I can figure things out on my own."

"That's not what she does. She'll just listen to you and then give you the different options you have on whatever you tell her. At least give it a try."

"I don't think so. She won't understand anything."

"You're underestimating her abilities before you even meet her. I want you to go once just to see if it helps and if you're disappointed then you don't have to go back. Simple as that."

"Whatever you say..."

She sighed and put her head back down on the table. I didn't want to pressure her into doing anything but at that point, she was just being stubborn. I knew she wasn't going to tell us everything she was feeling anytime soon so I thought it would at least give her another choice.

"If you really feel that strongly about not going, you don't have to. This is your decision, you have control."

"I'll see her if you think that's what's best. But thanks for not forcing me to go."

"So I made an appointment for your consultation for Wednesday afternoon. It's at four o'clock so you'll have to be ready before then. I'll be home by that time to take you there but I might be a bit late to pick you up because I have to go back to work for the remaining hour that you're with Rouge."

"Alright. I guess it's not really an option but to wait."

"You don't need to think about that right now though. Is that all okay with you?"

"Yeah, I guess its fine."

"Okay. Well, now that that's out of the way, why don't I make us some breakfast?"

She played a weak smile and nodded her head, but I could see when she turned her head, the uncertainty the she tried to hide beneath. I tried to convince myself that it would pass, yet my subconscious wouldn't let it rest still. I had this helpless feeling lingering in my mind, nagging at all the situations that were out of my own control. It was an unsettling feeling of constant apprehensiveness. Given that there was nothing else I could do, I allowed it to seep into the back of my mind until later. Understanding was the only way to move up from where I was; but forgetting, not an option.


	10. Discovering Me

**Hey everybody! I'm back with an all-new chapter for you. Yet another all-nighter; seriously it's 6:30 A.M. right now and I haven't gone to bed yet. **_**That has been happening quite a lot lately. **_**But who cares about that! Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review if you'd be so kind! Here y'all are!**

* * *

_Chapter Ten: Discovering Me_

I nervously walked into the clinic and made my way to the front desk where a secretary tapped away at her computer. It was the afternoon of my appointment with Sonic's psychologist friend.

"I have an appointment with um- I can't remember her name. It's for-"

"Amy?"

I heard someone call me from the left. I turned my head and was staring at a white bat in a black blouse and skirt. She was smiling widely in my direction and I guessed that she was the one I had my appointment with.

"It's alright, she's my next client," she called to the secretary. "I'm Rouge; we'll be sitting in my office for your consultation so you can just come right in."

She gestured to the open door behind her. I walked towards her and she closed the door behind her once we were both inside. I took a seat on the sofa and shuffled my hands unsurely. She took a seat on the chair opposite me and crossed her legs then grabbed a clipboard off her desk.

"So, Amy, what did you want to talk about today?"

"Well I didn't have anything in mind. Sonic's the one who suggested I come here but I'm not really sure about how this works."

"Well, how about you start off by telling me something that's troubling you or whatever's on your mind."

"Like what? My past or my feelings... It's really complicated inside."

"And I'm here to help you sort out the things in your head to help you understand it all more clearly and to help you find the answers yourself; the ones you already know that are just hidden in places we don't think to look. So just say anything you want."

"Okay. Um, well when I was six years old, I was abducted by a man who to this day, I don't know his name. He kept me a prisoner for ten years along with four other girls..."

I told her everything. It all just spilled out of my mouth like a waterfall. I had never told anybody the entire story in detail in one shot. By the time I neared the end, my eyes had started to water. I didn't want to ever talk about it that much ever again.

"... I don't know why I just got so angry at everybody there. It seemed as if they didn't consider me at all; like because they had showed up I was supposed to act as if nothing had happened and be all polite. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I tried *_hic_* putting on a false attitude but that didn't help at all, so when I left, I just let it all come out *_sniffle_*."

Rouge handed a tissue which I accepted, wiping my eyes and nose.

"Amy this is all really good that you're letting all this out. You are such a brave girl for going through all that and still being able to stay strong up until now."

"... I guess so."

"Really, you need to understand that. It's inhuman to not feel emotions and especially if you keep them to yourself, it's always so tough."

I started to calm down a bit after I finished; letting the sobs subside so I could speak clearly.

"I don't know how to act normal about the whole thing. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about escaping; am I supposed to feel happy when I know others are suffering? All I can feel is guilt and I don't know how to get rid of that feeling."

"Amy, there is no normal way to respond to a situation like this. Everybody is different and react differently to certain things. As for the feeling of guilt, have you ever thought about trying to think about what an amazing thing it is that you were able to get out and actually have a chance to save them? I'm sure the police are doing everything in their power to find the girls. You'll see them soon."

"I really hope so. I feel like I haven't done enough to help them; more like I abandoned them."

"You didn't abandon them Amy. If you hadn't escaped, one of them would have had to in order for you to be found. Try thinking about it in a more positive aspect. I like to call it turning caterpillars into butterflies."

"What do you mean 'caterpillars to butterflies'?"

"The negative feeling are the caterpillars and the positive ones are the butterflies. Let's try it, okay?"

She reached over to her desk and grabbed some blank papers and a pen. She pulled up little table and placed down the papers. She then started making a table with the words 'caterpillar thoughts' and 'butterfly thoughts' divided by a line drawn down the center of the paper.

"We're going to take your feelings and write them on the caterpillar side. Let's put guilt there with abandon and grief. Are you following?"

"Yeah, go on."

She then explained that once we talked about them, we figured out solutions to them and each of the aspects of the negative situation could be looked at positively.

"See, guilt becomes innocent, abandon becomes saving, and grief becomes acceptance."

"That's nice except, they haven't been found yet."

"_Yet_! Exactly, 'yet' implies that it will happen and you need to think like that; it's always better to think about the brighter side of things. And when you get sad, that's fine to feel that way but if you can, try thinking about other things; distractions sometimes can help a lot."

"Distractions, like what?"

"Well, what do you like to do? Read, write, listen to music, watch movies?"

"Oh, well I haven't really gotten used to the whole staring at a screen for a long time but I do like to read. And I was listening to the radio for a long time the other day before I smashed my hand through the mirror. I didn't feel too bad then."

"Great! That's just what I mean by distractions. So I'm really sorry but our time is running out and if you want to talk again, you can just call the number on this card."

She stood up and walked over to the other side of her desk and reached into a drawer. She pulled out a little business card and handed it to me.

"Oh and I'm going to write you a prescription for mild anti-anxiety pills that you'll take once a day for the next few weeks; that should stop the hallucinations and help you to sleep more comfortably. If you want to make another appointment right now, you can just go and ask the secretary to fit you in for the next time I'm available and you can just call to change it if it ever changes to a bad time."

"Oh alright, I think I'll do that."

She handed me a little slip of paper that had the name of some medication I couldn't pronounce written on it. I felt like a bit of weight had been lifted off of my shoulders with what we had discussed today. Sonic had been right and I was happy that he made me try it out.

"It was really nice meeting you, Amy. I look forward to our next talk."

"It was nice meeting you, too."

I shook her extended hand and was on my way out, when a thought suddenly popped into my head.

"Um, Sonic isn't going to find out what we talked about in here, right?"

"Of course not. It's restricted by the doctor-patient confidentiality agreement I signed when I graduated as a psychologist. You don't need to worry about that; everything we speak of stays in this room. Take care, Amy."

"Alright, thanks!"

I exhaled heavily as I walked out of her office. At least nothing I had said would be heard by other ears. I walked up to the secretary and made an appointment at the same time and day for the following week. I then walked to the front door and stepped outside to wait for Sonic to pick me up. It was a nice day; the sun was up and there was hardly any snow left on the ground. Grass was peeking out from under white blankets, buds on trees in bloom, flowers sprouting; it was too beautiful a day to just sit around on a pair of cold steps. I was feeling motivated to wander so I started pacing down the street when I came across a little park. Children were there with their parents being pushed on swings and toddlers were slipping down the slides, some playing with the left over snow. It made me smile so I sat down on a bench and watched in silence. I was basking in the sun listening to the laugh of children and the slow wind howling when I suddenly remembered that Sonic could have been waiting for me for a while. I stood up and started walking back through the park hurriedly when I caught sight of a blue figure approaching me.

"There you are. The secretary told me that you had left some time ago so I suspected you wandered off somewhere but I was worried. Sorry I'm late."

"Sorry about that. And I didn't mind waiting; it's nice out."

"How did the session go?"

"It went good. I'm going back if that's okay."

"Sure, that's what I was hoping for. Why don't we go, I've got some news."

"What news are you talking about?"

"Why don't we get into the car and I'll tell you there."

"What is it? Whatever it is, just tell me now, I can take it."

I don't know what I was expecting, everything bad that could have happened already had happened so I was temporarily confused.

"Let's just get in the car."

"Alright."

We got in the car and drove off. I was now extraordinarily curious about what it was.

"Okay we're in the car. Now tell me."

"The police called to inform us of the progress on the case."

"Oh my God, what happened, did they get leads?"

"They found the cabin. But they were gone."

My heart stopped. They were too late. I was too late. He knew I'd tell if I got out so he took them and left.

"Don't get scared just yet, they said they were expecting that and he moved in a hurry so he left a lot of stuff behind that could be useful to finding them."

"Take me to the police station. I want to see everything they found."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I need to know if I can help."

"Alright, if you say so."

Sonic pulled a u-turn and sped down the street in the direction of the station. Once we got there, I rushed inside and ran up to the front desk.

"Where are the officers working on the decade old kidnapping case?"

"Um, who are you?"

"I'm Amy Rose and I was in here last week to talk to some officers about my kidnapping case."

"Oh, yes. I'll have them come speak with you."

"Thank you."

I waited impatiently, tapping my foot anxiously on the floor. Sonic came in after me and was now standing beside me.

"Amy, calm down, they'll be here in a second."

Just then the two officers, I had spoken with the week before came out of an office and were walking in my direction.

"Amy, I assume you got the news. What are you doing here?"

"Can you tell me everything you know about what you found?"

"Why don't you come with me to my office, we'll talk there."

"Can he come too?"

I remembered the last time I spoke with them; I got quite aggressive so I decided it would be better if I had support with me.

"Of course. Please follow me."

The female, a black cat, was the one doing most of the talking; the male cop, a grey dog, stood there silent with a hard look, molded on his face. They led us to this small office that had a desk and a board that was plastered with pictures of the cabin and little sticky notes everywhere.

"What is that?"

"The board? That's so we can look at all the evidence about your case to make connections and find clues as to where he could have gone. It's a good thing you're here. Do you have any idea of where he could be?"

"Well he never let us leave so I don't really know any of the places he went to when he left."

"That's alright. Um, we found some pictures of you and what I propose are the other girls in the house, would you mind taking a look at them?"

I stepped forward and was instantly struck with a pang of grief. Staring at me were the expressionless faces of the girls. He had taken pictures of us a while ago, but we never saw them; we assumed they kept them in his room that he kept locked at all times. I took a gulp of air and started pointing each one out.

"Yeah, that's Jewel, that's Tikal and that one's Kitty... and there's me."

"Thank you Amy. If you want to know, we matched up their pictures with ones that were given to us for each kidnapping. The face symmetries revealed their true identities."

"Yes, I'd like to know their names, please."

"Well, you already Tikal the Echidna, and this one is the one you know as Jewel; well her name is Julie-Su the Echidna, no relation. This one here, Kitty, is actually Blaze the Cat and if you want to know what Feathers' real name was, it was Wave the Swallow."

I was suddenly very, very sad. I didn't feel the guilt I normally did when I thought about them, this time it was just utterly pure sadness. I was sad that I knew their names and they didn't even remember it themselves. I was sad that they were gone and I was sad that I was too late.

"Amy, you alright?"

Sonic put his hand on my shoulder as he asked me. I didn't know how to respond. I just wanted to get out of there and be alone.

"Yeah, can we go now?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for the information officers."

"Take care. We'll update you as soon as we get anything."

We waved goodbye and went home. I'd seen enough; maybe too much for my own good.

xXx

It was Friday morning and I had spent all of the day before doing nothing but sitting around and racking my brain for some memory that would tell me where he had brought them, however it turned out to be very unsuccessful and left me in a bad mood from reliving brief moments of my terrible past. Today, I thought it might be a better idea to distract myself from the whole situation and just explore the area outside. It was another nice day, only it looked like it would rain later. April was almost there so the weather would become very rainy in the near future. I put on my jeans, t-shirt and sweater before putting on my leather jacket and combat boots. It was around 9:30 A.M. when I woke up so already nobody was home. Sonic had given me a copy of the apartment key so I could go outside whenever I wanted to. I walked out the door and took the stairs. I still hadn't grasped the use of the elevator yet and it made me feel queasy when it moved. When I got outside, I stepped along the sidewalks and was looking down, trying to avoid the cracks like a child. As I was moving, I failed to see the pedestrian in front of me and walked right into them.

"Hey, watch it!"

"I'm so sorry; I wasn't looking where I was going!"

"Amy? I didn't recognize you for a minute, you look different."

"Hi Shadow. Yeah, Sonia took me to get my hair cut."

"Sonia?"

"Sonic's older sister. She lives there too."

"Oh I'm surprised I haven't run into her yet."

"Well she leaves pretty early in the morning so it's not really that big of a shock."

"Oh, okay. So what are you doing out here by yourself?"

"Oh just passing the time. I like the weather. Where are you off to?"

"Oh, I just went to get some breakfast from that little coffee shop down the street. How's your hand?"

"It's fine; healed pretty well thanks to you."

"That's good to hear. Well, I gotta get to work soon so I guess I'll see you around."

"Alright, bye."

I stared after him while he walked in the opposite direction. He was a lot nicer than he looked. I turned back and started up the street. I walked the full block and observed all the places surrounding it. Most were houses and other apartment complexes but there were also a few stores and food places as well. When I walked back into the building I searched my pockets for the keys to the front door. To my dismay, I realized upon climbing the stairs that I had forgotten them on the kitchen table when I was putting my boots on. I approached the door and dumbly tried turning the handle even though it was an automatic lock. I checked the top of the doorframe like I had read about in some fiction novels but was disappointed to find out I was wrong. At a loss for plans, I sighed and sat down leaning my back against the door. It was only a couple of minutes before I heard the elevator ding and saw its doors open. Shadow walked out and a look of confusion appeared on his face.

"What are you doing sitting in the hallway?"

"I forgot my key inside like a total idiot."

"Haha well what are you going to do?"

"Don't know; probably just sit here until either Sonia or Sonic show up. And weren't you suppose to be going to work already?"

"I forgot the keys to my bike in my apartment so it looks like we're in the same boat."

"At least you can get your keys. I'm stuck here for the next few hours."

"Hey, do you want to hang out at an auto shop since you can't really do anything else today?"

"What's an auto shop?"

"It's a place where people bring their broken cars or motorcycles to get them fixed. I work there. It isn't the most interesting job in the world but at least you won't be alone."

I wasn't too sure at first. I had only met him a couple of times and still did not know him well enough but on the other hand, he had a point in me being alone for several hours. I decided to take him up on the offer because it seemed like the better choice of the two.

"Alright, sure."

"You ever been on a motorcycle before?"

"Nope. Is that what you drive?"

"Yeah, you're in for quite a ride. Wait here, I'll just get my keys and spare helmet."

He entered his apartment and came back a minute later with a black helmet which he handed to me as I got up. I was suddenly excited. This was definitely considered to be a distraction. I walked down the stairs with Shadow and went outside. I followed him over to his bike and watched as he sat down and strapped his helmet on.

"Alright, put your helmet on and when you get on, you're going to have to hold onto my waist."

"Why?"

"So you don't fall off, silly! There's no other place for you to hold onto."

"Oh, okay."

I put my helmet on and swung my right leg over the seat. I did as he said and held onto his waist. It felt very awkward at first but once he started moving, I understood why I had to. The minute it picked up speed, I gripped tighter than any normal person would have; I was scared out of my mind but it was also the most exciting thing I had ever felt. It took us approximately fifteen minutes to get to the auto shop. When we finally came to a stop in the parking lot, I let go of him and I jumped off the bike.

"Oh my God, I thought I was about to die every time you turned!"

"Ha ha! I remember my first time on a bike. Needless to say, it was awesome. Was it really that scary for you?"

"More like a mixture of life and death at the same time but it was fun."

"Yeah, that's how most first timers are. Well, since we're here, why don't we head inside, it looks like it's about to start raining."

I took off the helmet and handed it back to Shadow as we walked into the building. The walls were all full of tools and other equipment used to repair cars hanging off nails and hooks. It was quite spacious inside and was surprisingly able to fit three cars along the width with plenty of room in between each of them. I looked around everywhere, following Shadow through the cavernous place. He led me up some stairs to an office of sorts that overlooked the entire room.

"This is where I sit all day."

"You don't fix the cars?"

"Nope. I'm in charge of all the clients' files, the money and the inventory ordering. "

"That sounds... pretty boring, actually."

"You are very right. It is incredibly boring but I can also mess around and relax all day since we don't have that many clients."

"So since it's such a relaxed job, what do you do all day?"

"Well, I only come in for four days a week because there isn't enough work for more days, but my day consists of filing, counting stock and counting cash."

"Can I help with anything?"

"Um, sure. Here are a bunch of invoices that you can put in alphabetical order while I make some calls to order parts. You can sit on that chair over there."

He pointed to a little wooden chair while he sat down in his cushioned office chair. I took the stack of papers and started organizing them on the desk. I saw a person in dirty coveralls walk by and walk back to look at me. It started to get loud with the sound of machinery in the background so he had to mouth out the words "Who are you?"I just turned and pointed at Shadow who then gestured for me to close the door from the noise. I did as he said and mouthed back a "sorry" to the guy as I shut the door on him. After that, Shadow got off the phone and I turned around to him.

"Who was that?"

"Oh, just my boss."

"What! I just closed the door in your boss's face? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Its fine, he gets it. I'll just tell him why you're here later on. Are you done with those papers yet?"

"Just about. There you go."

I handed him the stack of paper, all neatly piled and sat back in the chair. There wasn't much to do for the rest of the day. Shadow bought me a sandwich from the neighboring deli for lunch and then I carried on for the rest of the day counting how many oil stains were on the walls of the office. By around 4:00, Shadow said we could leave. We hopped back on his bike and he drove back to our apartment. It was less scary the second time around, but just as thrilling. When we made it upstairs, I found Sonic, standing outside the apartment door fidgeting nervously. He jumped instantly when he saw me and ran up to me.

"Where the hell have you been?! We've being going crazy looking for you!"

"Sorry! When I went on a walk this morning I accidently forgot my key and got locked out and Shadow found me and asked if I want to go to work with him instead of sitting her for five hours."

"You didn't think to leave a note?!"

"No, I'm sorry I didn't think of it. It was stupid and I know. I promise I won't do it again."

He was freaking out and I couldn't blame him. I had disappeared for so long that it was understandable to be worried. Shadow stepped in and spoke up.

"It was my fault; I should have thought to leave a note, don't blame her she's just a kid."

"And you! You took her on your motorcycle! She could have been killed, did you think of that? I don't want to you talking to me or Amy ever again!"

"That's crazy, man!"

"Sonic, it's not his fault-"

"Be quiet Amy. Just get inside."

I could understand his worry, but this explosion was ridiculous. I just felt bad that Shadow had to get involved and blamed for my stupidity. Sonic slammed the door behind us and angrily stepped in front of me.

"Do you have any idea what you put me through? Huh?"

"I'm sorry! What more do you want me to say?"

"Nothing. Look, I know I'm overreacting but the things that run through my head when I think of the things that could've happened to you. You disappearing like that, I can only imagine how much worse it would feel if you didn't come back an hour after I got here. Sonia's the one who called me to tell me you weren't at home so I left early to come and look for you."

"Oh, where is Sonia?"

"In her room. She was so close to calling the cops. Another hour and they'd probably have been at our front doorstep."

"I swear I'll never leave without a note again."

"No. Give me your key; you're not going anywhere for a while."

"What? Now that's not fair."

"Give it here."

"*_Sigh_*, it's on the table."

He walked over and shoved it in his pocket. I couldn't believe he was doing this. I had made one silly mistake so I had to be punished for it? He was starting to become a little overprotective. I walked down the hallway and knocked on Sonia's door. She opened it instantly and grabbed me in an suffocating hug.

"Amy! Thank God you're alright! I was so worried!"

"I'm fine, Sonia. I'm sorry I didn't leave a note or something; I didn't think of it."

"Where did you go?"

"Well, Shadow found me and invited me to chill at his work for a instead of sitting outside the door all day. But now we're both paying for it so I think I'm just going to go to bed."

"What do you mean 'paying for it'?"

"Well Sonic took away my key and told Shadow to never talk to us again."

"*_Sigh_* He'll come around later and probably give it back to you; he's just in a mood right now. It's only because he cares about you, you know that, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks Sonia."

"You're welcome sweetie. If you get hungry later, I'm making supper so you can just come grab some anytime you want."

"Alright."

With that said I left to my room a bit less upset but still kind of pissed that I was being kept inside all over again, although under much better circumstances. I closed the door to my room, took off my jacket and plopped on my bed. Today had been fun with Shadow and it was so ridiculous that I would never get to ride on that motorcycle ever again... except if Sonic didn't know about it.

I had an idea forming in my mind that was kind of diabolical. I sat up and thought about it more. Since Sonic was going to be gone for the majority of the day and Shadow said he only works four days a week, I could just ask him if on his day off, he could take me on the bike again and just not tell Sonic about it. It was perfect and there was no reason why Sonic would ever be able to find out... although I would need the key back.

_Damn it. That's the only thing. Well Sonia did say that he would come around but how long will that take?_

I thought it was about time to put on some charm and try persuading Sonic to give me back the key. I kicked off my boots and opened my door. I was about to step out when I overheard Sonia and Sonic's conversation.

"It doesn't matter that she was having fun, he could have been in serious trouble! You were the one that called me in the first place. If you didn't think it was a big deal then-"

"I did think it was a big deal; it's just that I think you are going a little bit too hard on her with the consequences. Just give her back the key. She's supposed to feel safe and free here, not trapped under strict rules. You heard her yourself, she promised to never do it again."

"Yeah. But still..."

"Uh! What is there still?"

"I'm not letting the thing with Shadow go. He's a bad influence and he could have endangered her life today and he passed it off like it was nothing."

"Do what you want; just think about how she might feel before you make drastic decisions. And don't be too overprotective."

I quickly hid back in my room as Sonia got up from the couch in the living room and walked back into her room. After I heard her door close, I stepped out once more and crept down the hallway into the living room. I saw Sonic sitting on the couch watching the TV and approached him quietly. It wasn't until I was two feet away from him that I announced my presence.

"Hi."

"Huh? Oh you scared me. What's up?"

"Oh nothing, just wondering what I'm going to do around the house since I'm not ever going to be allowed to leave..."

"Alright, I get it. Here you go."

He extended his hand out for me to take the key but pulled back the minute I got close to it.

"Ah, only if you absolutely promise you will never go anywhere without telling either me or Sonia where you are going."

"Yes, yes I promise. Now gimme the key!"

I took the key and grasped it in my hand tightly. I felt bad that I was already thinking about breaking the promise, but what he didn't know couldn't hurt him.

"Thank you!"

I then jumped up from my spot on the couch and ran to my room but not before overhearing Sonic mumbling to himself.

"*_Sigh_*I gotta get ready for that date now... Not looking forward to this..."

I giggled to myself at the problems that Sonic had to deal with. I now had all the power in my hands. Things had taken quite a turn for the better lately. They were getting closer and closer to finding the girls, I was actually finding things that I enjoyed doing, like riding motorcycles, and feeling happier in general.

_Thank you Rouge._

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter. I enjoyed writing this one very much. Amy's life is FINALLY getting back on track and you got to find out exactly who the missing girls were today! Stay tuned to find out when they will be found and don't forget to leave me a review or PM telling me what you thought about the chapter! Thank you and come again.**

**-**_**DarkRose**_


	11. Dividing Me

_**Hey, I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry this one took so long, I was busy this week. But it's extra long so I hope that makes up for it. I won't keep you any longer so please enjoy! Remember to leave me a review when you finish reading it, it helps a lot!**_

* * *

**_Chapter Eleven: Dividing Me_**

"Glad you could make it."

Sally Acorn was sitting across from me in a luxury hotel's high class bar. For what she had told me was a business meeting, she was dressed in quite unusual attire; that being a tight black sleeveless dress that dipped at the neckline to reveal her very noticeable chest and a pair of very tall black stilettos that complimented her long, skinny legs. She was sipping a cherry martini, leaning her elbow against the countertop next to the bartender who she had just called over for me.

"Bartender! Over here."

"Yes miss, what would you like?"

"I'm fine; my friend would like something though."

"What will it be sir?"

He was drying a champagne glass as he was speaking to me. It made me realize just how much of a classy place this was and when I glanced around, I noticed all of the men were in full suits and all the women in very elegant dresses. I felt out of place.

"Uh, a gin and tonic, please."

I answered quickly after passing the discomfort. I looked back in Sally's direction and took a seat next to her.

"So this is your idea of business?"

"Oh don't act surprised Sonic. You knew exactly what I meant the entire time. And right now, I'm in no mood to talk about work."

She let out a small giggle and smiled seductively as she took another sip of her martini. She seemed so different out of her conservative look that she wore in meetings. She looked really good; I didn't want to think that because of Fiona but I couldn't help it. I tried to divert my attention elsewhere to avoid looking directly at her.

"So what exactly did you want to see me for then?"

"Oh, stop playing dumb. You're hot; I'm hot, what's the problem with the two of us having a little fun on the side? It's not like you're my client although it wouldn't be too good an idea for my boss to find out about a relationship between the guardian of one of my clients and I."

"Sally, there is nothing between us! Plus, I have a girlfriend and I'm not interested."

It was the first time I considered Fiona my girlfriend. I was kind of surprised at how quickly it came out; it wasn't that I didn't want her to be, it was that we had never discussed making it official. Sally was coming on strong and I had to make a decision fast. I took a big gulp of my drink and tried to distract myself by staring at others in the room. To my dismay, they were mostly couples and I could pick out a few escorts hanging off the arms of old rich men. It wasn't much help seeing the connections between everybody so I slipped my hand in my pocket and searched for my phone but sadly realized I had forgotten it on my desk at home.

"Oh, I see. You don't really look like the loyal type; I always saw you as a player."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"It's your attitude and whole demeanor. You just seem to be the kind of guy who gets around; doesn't settle."

"Well, I'm not like that, okay. You don't know people just by looking at them."

"Don't get so defensive, it's not a bad thing, it's just most guys your age are. Just remember, you chose to come tonight whether or not you deny that you're attracted to me. Who wouldn't be, hehe?"

"You know what, I don't even know why I agreed to come but I'm leaving now, I shouldn't be here."

I got up to leave but Sally grabbed hold of my arm and gave me a pleading look.

"No, please stay, at least finish your drink."

I thought for a minute but then decided that it wouldn't really be fair to leave her with the bill so I told myself I would finish the drink, pay and then get out of there before I got myself into trouble.

"Fine, but only for a couple of minutes, nothing more."

"Deal."

I took a smaller sip of my drink. Sally had only a little left in her glass when she plucked up the cherry with her manicured nails and twirled it letting little droplets fall back into the glass. I watched as she brought the small fruit to her glossy lips and slowly put it in her mouth. I knew what she was doing; her every motion was executed in a suggestive way and it was doing a number on me.

"Since you're still here, do you want to see something cool?"

"Sure."

I was trying to not sound enthusiastic to try and turn myself off of the idea of cheating. I couldn't ignore it; the temptation was there, hanging in front of me like mouse to a cat. I knew it wasn't a good choice but I tried to finish off my drink as fast as I could which only worsened my inhibitions.

"Watch this."

I stared as Sally placed the cherry stem in between her teeth and then pulled it out after a couple of seconds and revealed a knot.

"That is pretty cool."

"Pretty sexy, wouldn't you say?"

"Sally..."

"What? Is it that hard to admit that you're interested? I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want to do; I'm just telling you that I'm aware you want to do it."

I finished up the last of my drink and stood up. I slowly pushed my way through the crowd of people near the door.

_I'm almost there. The exit is right there and then this will all be over and I can forget this night ever happened._

Just as I was reaching the front door, I was pushed against the wall beside it and pinned there by two feminine hands holding onto my shoulders and leaning into me. Sally pushed herself up to face and kissed me firmly without any warning. Before I even knew what I was doing, I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist and let her place both arms around my neck; deepening the kiss. I pulled away for a minute to breathe from the intensity. She was panting and so was I.

" Your place or mine?"

"Yours of course."

"Oh yeah, silly me."

She put her lips against mine one more time before we walked out the door hurriedly.

"Let's take your car, I took a cab here."

"Alright."

It took us ten minutes to reach her apartment which was also downtown. She stumbled out of the passenger's seat and ran up the stairs to her door and started fiddling with her keys. To be honest, I hadn't even noticed she was wearing her coat. I quickly followed her inside and kicked the door closed. I couldn't believe how weak my will power was.

xXx

The next morning, I woke up to a blaring headache despite the fact that I only had one drink. I hadn't eaten much the day before so the alcohol affected me greater than ordinary. I opened my eyes to blurriness before they adjusted to daylight.

"Good morning sleepy head."

I heard a soft voice call from a little bit away from me. I could hear the sound of coffee brewing in the distance and small footsteps getting gradually closer.

"What time is it?"

"Almost noon. Do you want some coffee or an Advil first?"

"What!? Neither, I've gotta go!"

"Why? You just got up."

"Yeah and I shouldn't have been here in the first place. Look, last night was a mistake, I was drunk and careless so can we just pretend it never happened? I can't even remember most of it."

I jumped out of bed and out my clothes on. My head was pounding and her fast paced voice wasn't helping.

"What? You're just going to leave me here like some _tramp_ that doesn't even deserve a hello!?"

"Weren't you the one who said I look like a player? Well it turns out you were right. See ya."

"Don't forget about Amy. At the end of the day, I'm still the one who fills out the report."

"I can always ask for a new social worker."

"But I still have an influence. I'd be careful how you treat me."

"Alright what do you want Sally? You know this was a bad idea."

"I'll keep you posted. From this point on, don't do anything you'll regret."

"I already have."

With that, I slammed the door shut behind me and walked to my car. As I started the engine, I looked up to see her face through the front window looking down on me with a blank expression drawn on her face. I drove away, giving her a dirty look I wasn't even sure she could see.

I was having a pretty bad morning which never led to a good day. I drove through the slow traffic of a Saturday morning and made it home at around 12:30 P.M. It was a good thing Sonia worked on Saturdays; I didn't want to get my head chewed off yet for not coming home again and this time she knew who I was with. I walked through the door, lights and sounds still bothering me greatly, to a quiet and peaceful environment I was ever so thankful for. I crashed on the couch, not even bothering to take my shoes or jacket off and shoved my face into a cushion.

"Well, look who decided to come home."

I looked up to see Amy standing in front of me her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"What?"

"Sonia said you didn't come home last night and she was acting kind of pissed off about it."

"Yeah, well Sonia always feels like she needs to give her opinion about every Goddamn thing so I don't really care."

I stood up and walked over to the fridge. As I leaned in and rummaged through the contents, I heard Amy approaching me again.

"You don't look so good. Are you sick or something?"

"A little. Hey since you're up, do you mind fetching me some Advil from the counter beside the sink in the bathroom?"

"Sure."

I sighed and just took ended up taking out some juice and pouring myself a glass as I sat down at the table. Amy came back a minute later holding the little dark blue box in her hand and passing it to me.

"Thanks."

"Why are you so quiet? Normally you talk a lot. What happened last night, I've never seen you like this."

"Oh, uh, I drank a lot and uh, did some stuff."

What was I supposed to tell her: _Oh, by the way, I slept with your social worker who turned out to be some clingy, controlling psycho!? Oh and I forgot vengeful!_

I just drifted off topic and prayed she wouldn't ask about it more. Thinking required too much energy at this point so I just stayed silent. I just popped the pills in my mouth and swallowed. It wasn't for another twenty minutes that it actually kicked in and the headache started to subside. I thought it might have actually been caused more by Sally's presence than by a real hangover. I made a mental note to call social services and request a new social worker for the next meeting. When I finally decided to look up from laying my head on the table, I saw that Amy had left. I thought I should get up and talk to her a bit because it was true that I hadn't really been around lately. I searched all the rooms in the house but couldn't seem to find her anywhere. I was doubtful that she would have gone off without telling me so soon after we told her not to. I hadn't realized how distracted I was with my headache that I hadn't heard her close the door. I got my phone from my room and checked the messages.

_Tails – Want to hang tonight?_

_Fiona – Hey there sexy, u free 2nite? _

_Sonia – 1 Voicemail_

_Ugh... Okay, let's see what big sis has to say..._

I pressed play on the voicemail and put the phone to my ear. Whatever she had left on the message wasn't going to be nice.

"_Hi Sonic. Let me just remind you about the fact that you SLEPT WITH AMY'S SOCIAL WORKER! I know you did because it's eight o'clock in the morning and you have yet to return home. You are so lucky I have work right now but when I get home, you're gonna hear it. And what about that other girl you've been seeing? I've thought many things about you Sonic but a cheater has never been one of them! Get your shit together before you fuck everything up!_"

And that was when I knew I'd fucked up. Bad. Really bad. I had two girls who wanted me bad and I had to wrong the one that I actually care about. I had no idea what Sally was planning but I knew that she wouldn't want staying too close to Fiona right now; I had the feeling that she was watching me or something. Why had I done this to myself? Because I was a stupid, senseless asshole that didn't think before he acted.

I replied to Tails' message with a 'no thanks'; I wasn't planning on touching alcohol for a while. On top of all my stupid actions, lately I had been driving under the influence which could have resulted in me or someone else ending up in a situation worse than any moral trouble. It was time for me to take hold of my life and focus on what was really important like making sure Amy would be able to stay with us; which unfortunately meant keeping Sally Acorn happy until we could do something about it.

I decided to keep my distance from Fiona for a while just for caution's sake; both hers and mine. That morning, I saw a side I had never even thought could come from the chipmunk girl. I really hadn't known her for long and was hoping that she would consider that factor in whatever we did but apparently I was wrong; she clearly had stronger feelings for me than I thought. I thought that she was just being flirtatious and coming on so strong because of the drink but things got out of hand too fast. I knew I had to fix things fast before she unravelled everything we worked for.

I left my room and grabbed my car keys then left the apartment. I sped down the stairs and flew out the entrance. I observed my surroundings in search of the familiar pink hedgehog. With worry building up inside of me, I bounded to my car and started it. I was being a little overdramatic about it but I couldn't help thinking the worst. I was already on edge after the whole Sally thing and then Amy just up and leaves without telling me- again. I was learning slowly how Sonia must have felt raising me and Manic while we were growing; we used to pull this kind of stuff all the time. I drove around the block and circled the neighborhood until I caught sight of a light pink figure in my rear-view mirror. I swiftly maneuvered a u-turn and pulled up to the curb. I jumped out and walked towards her. I noticed that she seemed determined to get wherever she was going and kept glancing around her. When she looked back, I hid behind the wooden fence of a house I was passing by. I wanted to know where she was headed and I had the feeling that she didn't tell me where she was going for a reason. I kept on moving forward behind her, making sure to maintain distance so she wouldn't see or hear me. She turned a corner and I realized she was headed towards the main road that led to the highway. I quickly chased after her and peeked around the corner. She was sitting on a bench sitting next to a stranger that I couldn't see from my position. It really wasn't in her character to talk to people she didn't know, especially after her experience. I watched further from my hiding spot and would be more than ready to blow my cover should something suspicious happen but for now she seemed in no danger. It was only after a couple of minutes that she got up from her spot and was approaching me so I slid behind a dumpster until she walked by and was well away from me. When I was certain she was far enough to not hear me, I got up and looked back at the bench, hoping to see who she was chatting with but to my dismay, the individual was already gone.

_Damn it! Alright I missed who it was this time, but I'll follow her the next time she goes out and see who that mystery person is._

I made my way back to my car and headed back home fast. I stopped by a coffee shop on the way back to make it look like I had an excuse to leave. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Amy's silhouette retreating behind the main door to the lobby. I walked in behind and raced up the stairs and rushed into the apartment. I thanked the heavens for my speed because it would have been strange for a coffee run to have taken that long. She followed in almost right after me and I had to calm down my panting to not look like I just ran up four flights of stairs.

"Hey."

"Where did you go and why didn't you tell me you were leaving? That was the deal, remember?"

"Oh, sorry. I just didn't want to disturb you. You looked like you were ready to pass out. And plus, I wasn't even gone that long. I just went for a walk."

"A walk where? You don't know the neighborhood, Amy. There could be creeps lurking around every corner."

"I know that already. Besides Sonia said that taking little strolls around the block wouldn't hurt to build up my knowledge of the area and also help me with getting used to walking around like a normal citizen. Don't worry, I don't talk to anybody I don't know and I stay away from people who look threatening."

"Are you sure you don't talk to anybody?"

"Yes! Why are you interrogating me like I did something wrong?"

"I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"Well you're not my father so you don't need to worry about me like you are!"

After that she stormed off to her room and I heard the door slam closed behind her. I knew I had pushed too far but I was also aware that she had lied to my face. I knew for a fact that she talked to a stranger... unless it _wasn't _a stranger and she knew the person.

_But who would she lie about talking to; well it wasn't a lie, just an omission? I know everybody she knows so I can't see her keeping something like that from me._

I let that go but I couldn't help feeling offended by her harsh words about me caring for her safety. I shuffled through my pockets and pulled out my cell phone and dialed the only person I knew who could explain her bizarre behaviour.

"_Hello? Sonic, is that you?_"

"Yeah Rouge, it's me. Sorry to bother you but I have a question about Amy's behaviour recently."

"_Sure thing but I'm just letting you know that I can't divulge any of my patient's information unless she's in danger._"

"No, no, I'm not asking anything like that. It's just that she's been acting a bit weird lately; like I was asking her a simple question and I may have pushed a little too far but she lashed out and said that I'm not her father so I shouldn't worry like one. Do you know anything about that?"

"_That's common among many children who grow up without a father figure or in Amy's case, grew up with a man who posed as one and made a negative influence on any male character who will care for her later on in her life. It could also be a reaction to the medication I proscribed; nothing to worry about, it's just her body getting used to the added hormones."_

"Alright, thanks, that makes it a bit better."

_"You're welcome. And don't forget how much change she's going through right now."_

"Yeah I know, the translation back into regular society- "

_"No, I'm talking about puberty. Underneath everything, she's physically still an ordinary teenage girl dealing with hormones and emotions that don't make sense to her."_

"Oh, I didn't think about that. When you put it that way, things add up just fine."

_"See? Nothing unusual, just regular sixteen year old behaviour. Welcome to the life of living with an adolescent. I deal with them all day long."_

"Ha ha, yeah I'm kinda glad I don't do your job right now. But thanks, that really cleared things up for me. I guess I'll see you at her next appointment then."

_"Yup, I'll talk to you later, Sonic."_

"Alright and thank you again."

_"You're welcome; call anytime if you're having trouble."_

"Okay, bye."

I ended the call and put it back in my pocket. Rouge had made me understand everything in a much better light. Amy was just an ordinary teenager, looking at things from a teenager's perspective. I could tell she was beginning to get comfortable here and was actually kind of glad that she felt relaxed enough to react that way in front of me. I just hoped that Sally wouldn't do anything to ruin this.

I took a sip of my coffee and headed over to the couch. I plopped down and turned on the TV. It was around 2:00 P.M. so there wasn't much on, just a couple of sports games on. It entertained me for a couple of hours until the landline phone rang. I got up off the couch and walked over to the kitchen to answer it.

"Hello?"

_"Bro, that you? It's me Manic!"_

"Hey, what's up? I haven't talked to you in ages!"

_"Just university crap that you wouldn't understand, ha ha. I'm just joking; you know just the usual, school finishes in a couple of weeks so things are a bit hectic but the rest is alright. How've you been getting on without me?"_

"Um, fine. I got promoted the other day to deal with this big project that's going on next week and if I nail it, I've got a secure spot at the company so that's always good."

_"Good for you, bro! That sounds awesome! And how's Sonia?"_

"Working hard, as usual. Um, listen when you get back, there's something we need to talk about; its kind of serious."

_"What happened? Did the apartment burn down or something?"_

"No, no , nothing like that. Just, uh- how do I put this..."

I thought for a moment if I should tell him the story now or just give him the minor details and go more in depth about it with Amy when he got back. I went with my first idea and just give him a little heads up so he's not entirely shocked when he arrived.

_"What is it Sonic? You're killing me."_

"Your room is currently occupied."

_"By who?"_

"Uh, it's a little too complicated to explain over the phone but we'll work it out once you get back. Don't dwell on it, it's not a big deal, just something you're going to have to get used to."

_"I'm not liking the sound of this, bro."_

"Relax, it'll all be fine, okay? Just trust me on this one."

_"Is said person in my room right now?"_

"Yes. Don't worry, Sonia made sure all of your personal things were out of there before she arrived."

_"Oh, it's a _she_ now is it? Is she hot?"_

"What? She's a sixteen year old girl, I can't answer that question. And she comes from a very troubled past so you better watch your mouth when your around."

_"Wow, sounds like she's really important to you. So tell me, why is she in my room, again?"_

"It's- complicated. I told you that, already. It's for a good reason and that's all you need to know for now."

_"Dude, you can't just tell me there's some random chick staying in our apartment, in MY room, sleeping in MY bed and expect me to act like nothing's out of the ordinary. How long have you known her for anyway?"_

"Almost a month."

_"You know that's not long enough to let them LIVE in your HOUSE!"_

"I didn't exactly have a choice; look I promise this will make a whole lot more sense when you get here."

_"Alright, if you say so, but I want my room back; I'm not spending my summer on a couch!"_

"I told you we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, just leave it alone until the time comes, okay?"

_"Alright, man. Uh, I gotta go but I'll call you later."_

"Sure, bye bro."

_"Peace!"_

I hung up the phone and leaned my head against the wall. I had no idea how we were going to manage the both of them living here at the same time. We couldn't kick Amy out of the bedroom but it also wasn't fair to Manic to just lock him out of his own room.

_Maybe I could give up my room and let Manic stay in there until he goes back to the campus._

I pushed it to the back of my mind when I heard a door click open down the hall. I turned around and saw Amy standing at the entrance to the kitchen. She had solemn look on her face.

"Who was that?"

"That was my brother, Manic. He'll be coming home in a few weeks so I was just letting him know about you before he gets here."

I was speaking very slowly, leaving spaces in between my words. For some reason, I felt as thought I had to tip-toe around her for the moment; I didn't want to set her off again.

"Oh, yeah. I took his room."

"Well, it's not really a problem; we'll just deal with it when he gets here."

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that before, it sort of just came out."

"It's alright; I get it. You're right, I'm not that much older than you so it's hard seeing me as an authority figure and by no means am I asking you to do that; I'm only here to help you and watch out for you."

"Yeah, it just seems so strange to have other people looking after me when I've been on my own for so long. I guess I've developed this instinct to push back at people who try and help."

"And I understand that completely. I don't know how you feel most of the time but I do try my best to do the right thing. I don't want to see you go through anymore of what you've been through. I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"I know. And I'm extremely grateful for everything you've done so far. I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate it; I do. I'm just happy to have somewhere I can stay where I don't have to fear for tomorrow or worry about getting through the night. I'm still trying to hope for the girls I basically grew up with. I'm sad that they don't have it as good as I do right now."

She started tearing up a bit and wiped her eyes. The sight was tugging at my heart. Her friends, maybe even sisters in her eyes, were still trapped in hell and she was staying here. I hated seeing her cry; it was one of the worst feelings in the world to see her upset. I pushed myself away from the wall and walked over to her. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"They're going to find the girls, trust me. You'll be reunited with them soon."

"I just hope they don't hate me after it all."

"Amy, how could they possibly hate you?"

"Because I'm safe and they're not. Because I was too slow and the police didn't find them in time and now they're going to be gone forever."

"No they're not. I promise you that they'll come back, even if I have to track the bastard down myself."

"You can't do that."

"But I would if I could."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I'll do anything right now for you to stop crying. I want you to smile as much as possible and enjoy your freedom and live your life. What I want is for you to be safe and happy."

"Thank you."

She hugged me tightly and stopped sniffling. I was so glad that it worked. I knew I was making promises that I wasn't sure if I could keep but I couldn't stand to see her sad anymore. She let go of me and walked over to the table. She sat down on the chair and propped her elbows on the table. I followed and sat across from her.

"So aren't you supposed to teach me math or something?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Hah, we could start right now if you want. I'm not exactly sure where to begin though..."

She was distracting herself from her feelings by changing the subject. I got up from the table and made my way to my room to grab a couple of my old text books then came back.

"Alright so, why don't we start off with the basics. You have your simple math like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and then you have graphs, algebra, trigonometry, equations, formulas and all that other boring crap. Why don't we start off with your basic skills..."

xXx

Sonia came home when we were deep in conversation about the point of using letters in dumb situations to which I had no answer. Amy was a fast learner but she was still very far behind. It would take quite a long time before she was caught up with the rest of the kids her age. I was supposed to cram around seven years of math into 5 months before she started grade 12. I didn't want her to be put in a grade lower but there was a lot of chance that she would end up in grade 11 or maybe even 10 if she wasn't properly educated in time to take the entrance exam.

"What are you guys up to?"

"Math."

"Exciting stuff. Hey Sonic, can I borrow you for a minute?"

"Yeah. Um, Amy I think that's enough for today. If we go any further, you won't retain anything."

"Alright."

She got up and walked down the hall to her room while I followed Sonia to the living room.

"You want to explain to me exactly what the fuck was going through your head when you decided to sleep with that social worker?"

"Um, about nothing. I let the alcohol control me and that's why I've decided to stop drinking for a while. I know it was a stupid decision and I take full responsibility for any of the consequences that follow."

"Wow, somebody's acting mature for once. Do you know what's going to happen though? I mean, have you told that girl you've been seeing yet?"

"What? No, I'm not going to tell her. But, uh, there may or may not be a little problem..."

"What?"

She spoke through her teeth in a low growl. I was scared to tell her exactly what happened so I kept it short to not make it sound so bad.

"I might have pissed her off a bit and so we need to call and switch social workers."

"What did you do?"

"I told her t forget it ever happened and then she went all psycho and was saying stuff like 'I have the power to decide whether or not Amy stays with you' and 'don't do anything you'll regret'..."

"You need to fix this. She's nuttier than a squirrel, oh wait! She is a squirrel. And what does she mean 'don't do anything you'll regret?"

"I think that pertains to my 'girlfriend'; as in don't see her for a while."

"You've really done it this time, Sonic. You better think of something, and think of it fast because you don't know how much time you have before she acts on her rage."

"Yeah, I know."

But I didn't know. I had no idea what O was going to do about it. This would require some serious thought on how to handle her.

_Fiona will become suspicious if I just stop talking to her but then again, what will Sally do if she sees me with her? _

I didn't want Fiona to get tangled up in this but I also didn't want to just stop seeing her. What was I supposed to do? Amy had gotten me involved with some pretty strange women and she didn't even know about any of it. At the end of the day, she was the one that mattered most.

* * *

_**So Sally isn't completely all there and is head over heels for Sonic! What is he going to do about it and will he be able to get away with it with Fiona? Please stay tuned to find out what happens with Amy and who the mystery individual is; feel free to guess in the reviews or PM me with your views on the chapter! I thank you for continuing to read my story and I hope I'm keeping your interest!**_

_**-DarkRose**_


	12. Dreaming Me

_**Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter. I'm going to try and get another one up before I start school but this is what I've got for you today. Please enjoy and don't forget to review!**_

* * *

_Chapter Twelve: Dreaming Me_

"_We're sorry, but we haven't had any leads lately on the case; but don't give up hope. I promise I will inform you as soon as we get anything. We have amber alerts on all the girls and we'll be waiting by the phone if anybody calls in any tabs._"

"Alright, thanks. I'll wait for an update from now on."

"_We'll keep you posted._ _Keep up the hope._"

Sonia hung up the phone and turned back to face me where I was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Sorry sweetie, they got nothing. They did say that they'll call as soon as they get anything though."

"Yeah that's what I figured. Thanks for calling them for me anyway."

"Anytime Amy. Listen, about tomorrow, don't worry. We'll figure something out. Even if Manic has to sleep on the couch, he'll live."

"I don't want seem like I'm intruding though. I mean, I have been sleeping in his room for a month and a half and he didn't even know of my existence until a few weeks ago."

It was almost the end of April and Sonic and Sonia's brother Manic was returning from university until he had to go back in August. They were going to pick him up at the train station the following morning; which was a Sunday, which also meant I would be left alone with him all day on Monday so I would have plenty of time to explain why I was staying in his apartment.

It had been so long since we had heard from the police about finding the girls, almost a month; so I asked Sonia if she could check in with them to make sure they hadn't forgotten about us. With no luck, they didn't progress much. I got up from my spot at the kitchen and went to my room; well what I wasn't too sure was going to be my room after Manic arrived. I was secretly nervous about meeting him since he didn't seem too enthusiastic about me being here. Sonic had tried to reassure me that we'd work things out but I still had my doubts that everyone was going to get what they wanted.

It was around six in the evening but it was still pretty bright outside and I had the urge to get some fresh air; at least that's what Sonic and Sonia thought I was up to. What I was really going to do was see if Shadow was willing to take me for a ride on his bike again. Ever since I rode on it the first time, I'd wanted to go back and after the incident where he was never supposed to have contact with me again, I'd had to sneak out or bend the truth about where I was headed. Shadow was reluctant at first but I convinced him that if Sonic didn't know, nothing would happen. I begged him until he finally agreed and from then, he'd let me ride for a little while. I didn't know why but it somehow helped me feel free and allowed me to forget about everything in that moment. It was a way to escape and because I wasn't driving, I didn't have to focus on anything except holding on. It was scary yet thrilling; I could fall off so easily but then again that's what I found exciting about it. I grabbed my shoes and from my room and walked towards the front door.

"Sonia, is it alright if I go out for a bit?"

"Sure but where exactly?"

"Just to the park. I want to go and watch the sunset."

"Oh okay. I'll see you later then, I guess."

"Yeah. Bye!"

I ran out the door and looked around before I knocked on Shadow's door. He didn't answer the first time so I knocked again. I knew for a fact that he didn't work past four on Saturdays because this was usually the opportune time that I met him. I waited a moment and then I heard the muffled sound of footsteps approaching me.

"Oh, hey Amy."

"Hi! I was hoping I caught you at a good time... Don't worry, Sonic's not home."

"Look, I was thinking the other day, maybe we should stop. I mean it's not that I mind doing it, I love any excuse to ride but..."

"But what?"

"I don't know, didn't you say Sonic's brother or whatever will be staying there for a while from tomorrow?"

"Yeah so what's the big deal? I don't purposely want to lie but I also like emptying my head for a bit, you know?"

"Yeah, that's why I ride; it's a feeling like no other!"

"So can we go? Please, just this one time?"

I was clasping my hands together and giving him a pleading look. It was a few seconds before he sighed and gave in.

"Alright, let's go."

"Yay!"

I jumped a little and then followed him down the stairs. Since we'd been riding, we'd been talking more and I'd told him about where I came from; it was the only reason I could get him to let me ride with him. It was a bit overwhelming at first to say it but Rouge had told me it would be hard for a while but that I would soon adjust to telling people when I wanted to. The therapy sessions were really helping as well. I was starting to let go of some of the pressure I'd been feeling since I _escaped_ and I was starting to move on from it. I still had that ache In my heart that never went away when I thought about Kitty- _Blaze_ and the others. Riding made that ache go away for a while; that's why I kept coming back.

Shadow was already starting the engine up by the time I caught up to him. He was always a little on edge as if he was worried that Sonic or Sonia or anybody would catch us at any moment. I personally never understood why; I never viewed it as a terrible act, just a simple little risk. I took the helmet that I was now used to wearing and placed it over my head, clipping it under my chin. I looked over at Shadow who was waiting for me to get on.

"You ready?"

"Yup!"

"Then what are we waiting for?"

He kicked the stand and took off. I gripped onto his waist and let the adrenaline rush through my veins as that fear of a possible collision or falling off crept inside my head accompanied by the excitement of exposure. My thoughts were free and my mind, careless. That ache in my heart dissipated the moment I could feel the wind surrounding me. The sun was slowly sinking in the distance, casting shadows upon the entire city. We sped down the highway that led downtown but we turned back before we got too far. We took a path around a grimy looking area and raced through it as fast as possible as some untrustworthy looking bystanders stared at us from the alleyways and street corners. A different anxiety rose up in my chest and I must have tensed up because Shadow slowed down and looked back at me.

"It's okay; we won't be in this part of town much longer. I don't like either."

I just nodded and looked in front of us. I relaxed a bit when I could make out some familiarities somewhere up ahead of us, further down the road. He looked back and shot out of there, all the while, I couldn't help but feel the lingering eyes that never turned away until we were out of sight. Once we were in a more common and open area, he pulled off to the side.

"Why did we go through there?"

"You're looking for speed aren't you? Other areas have heavy traffic at this hour."

"But there were people watching us everywhere, it was really creepy!"

"Alright, we won't go through there again, the cops don't even bother with this place anymore; at least you know one part of town you should stay away from."

"Yeah, I guess."

And this got me thinking.

"Wait what did you say about the police?"

"Oh nothing, just that they don't pass through there as often as they used too."

"How do you know what they used to do if you only just moved here a couple months ago?"

"Because I used to live in that neighborhood and then when I was eighteen I moved out and then came to our building which I was not even aware was this close to that place..."

"Oh, wow. So was it like that back then?"

"Pretty much hasn't changed a bit since I left."

He had a hint of sadness in his voice; like he was disappointed that it had stayed the same. I just nodded my head and looked back. It was almost as if entering an entirely different atmosphere; the dull feeling, the bleakness of the walls, the expressionless faces... It was terrifying to say the least.

_If the law enforcement had given up hope, how could the residents possibly maintain their own?_

A new idea popped into my head and remained there until Shadow had brought us back. The ride did help me forget about the pain in my heart but it also brought on worsened thoughts that carried with it a new pain.

"Thanks for the ride!"

"Anytime; just- not through that neighborhood again..."

"Oh yeah. I don't really want to go back there. But, uh, I'll see you later then!"

I smiled at him and he returned one but it was almost as if he was wearing a mask; underneath it, that same sorrowful air hadn't left. I felt sorry that he was pained but there was nothing I could do. I rushed up the stairs and unlocked the front door to let myself in. Sonic had returned from work later than usual, it being almost seven o'clock. Ever since he had become a permanent employee, he'd been working several hours more in the day since he had more tasks. Sonia saw me first and I waved to her when she looked up.

"Hey!"

"Hey, you're back. So how was the sunset?"

"It was pretty. I'm happy it sets at a later time now."

"Yeah, it's only a little while 'til it's summer; I can't wait!"

As always, she was in good spirits. I was hoping she wouldn't sense my anxiety over what was still very present in my mind. I waved to Sonic when he saw me and was on my way to my bedroom when I was stopped by conversation.

"So you went to the park, huh?"

"Um, yeah! I was there the whole time."

I was getting a tad nervous. I didn't know why he was asking me after I told Sonia where I was going. Surely she had told him.

"Well, that's funny because I drove past it and didn't see you."

I tensed up a bit. I had to think of something quick; I didn't want to tell the truth because who knew what Sonic would do if he found out. I didn't want to risk anything.

"Oh, well I was sitting kind of far from the road so maybe you just couldn't see me, that's all."

"Oh, okay."

I turned back, headed to my room and shut the door tight behind me. Even thought he had a calm composure, I was fully aware of the suspicion in his tone. I couldn't think of a reason why he would doubt me, I had never given him implications that I was up to something; at least I thought I hadn't.

I pushed it to the back of my mind and focused on the idea I clued in on while riding through that grey neighborhood. Shadow had said that the police rarely check up on that part of town which would also mean that it might be a good place for a wanted criminal to take refuge.

'_He'_ _might be hiding the girls there! I'll have to suggest it to the police; maybe they'll find them there!_

A new hope sparked a light in my head and the ache in my chest had disappeared. I thought that maybe if _I _was the one to find them, I would have redemption from abandoning them. I kicked off my shoes and walked over to my bed. I lay there for a while thinking about what it would really be like to grow up in a place like that neighborhood. Anything would have been better than how I was brought up but it seemed like it would a different kind of sad life. The weight of fear and misery that that place held on to attached itself to anybody who went near it. It hung heavy in the air like an always present fog; invisible to the eye but apparent to the mind. Living in that, constantly carrying around that sensation of fear and desolation must be difficult. I could understand why Shadow had gotten out of there at an early age. I thought about the way he seemed after we had left; that disappointment in his voice, the despondency behind his smile, it looked as if that little amount of time we had sent there had really taken a toll on him. I assumed I would have a similar reaction if I had to go back to the cabin in the forest.

As I started to think about revisiting the nightmare of a place I spent most of my life, my blood began to boil and my head began to pound. I reached over to the nightstand next to the bed and pulled open the drawer in search of my pills. Rouge had said to take one if I ever felt overwhelmed by a situation. I grabbed the half empty water bottle on the nightstand and swallowed the capsule. I sat back down and waited for the effects to set in; which meant drowsiness followed by loss of appetite. I wasn't supposed to take the pills daily because their side effects weren't too healthy for my body. It was still quite early in the evening so I tried to make the most of it until my brain would shut down for the night. I opened my door and made my way to the kitchen to search for food before my stomach refused it. I looked through the fridge and pulled out the other half of a sandwich that I had made at lunch. I ate it quickly and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I was walking back to my room when Sonia saw me and called me over.

"Hey, so I just wanted to remind that we're supposed to be picking up Manic at around nine so we should be back no later than ten."

"Oh, that early? I thought he would be coming in the afternoon."

It wasn't ideal for me to wake up with a nervous feeling; it usually led to a bad day but I guessed I would just have to live with it. I didn't regularly wake up late so it wouldn't have been a problem in that aspect but I would have appreciated more time to think about how I was to introduce myself. I must have looked absent-minded because Sonia started waving her hand in front of my face.

"...Amy? Is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm just tired. I just took my medication so it tends to do that."

"Oh, I'm sorry this is stressing you out so much. Just trust me; everything will be fine, I know my brother very well."

_That's not the only thing on my mind but I can't tell her because that would be revealing where I was when I was supposed to be at the park!_

"Yeah, hah. Well, goodnight!"

"Goodnight."

She smiled and walked in the direction of her own room as I walked towards mine. The dreariness of the drugs had begun to kick in finally and was dragging me instantly toward the bed. I closed the light and nestled myself underneath the covers. Next thing I knew, I was off in dreamland.

xXx

I opened my tired eyes and was startled to find that I was standing on the edge of a sidewalk. I looked up and realized that I was across the street from the grimy neighborhood that Shadow and I had ridden through. I felt my body stiffen and the familiar sensation of fear coursed through me, making my spine tingle. A cold wind blew despite the warm April weather that made it seem as if the winter had never left this part of town. The streets were deserted in both directions and nothing but emptiness was behind me. My feet began to carry me across right into the neighborhood despite my mind desperately telling me to turn around. I had lost control over my movements and was advancing further into the dark depths of this unknown area. Unlike the first time I was there, with eyes peering at me everywhere I looked from the hidden shadows and filthy alleyways, there was not a soul in view and the only sound that could be heard was the howling wind as it passed through the spaces in between the buildings. I was shivering now; both from the chill in the air and my terror. I continued on through the neglected community, still unable to control my body's motions. I figured that my mind was taking me to a set destination; omitted information held in my brain that I hadn't been able to think of at the moment. My now shaking legs turned me down one of those dark, dreadful alleyways; completely going against every alarm in my body screaming at me to turn back. I was engulfed in blindness, a suffocating hand that tore away my senses until I suddenly stopped in my tracks. Once my eyes adjusted, I could make out a metal door on the wall facing me. My feet started moving again and my hand reached out for the handle. Just before I turned it, the wind came shooting down the tunnel pushing me closer to the door. I looked back but was unable to see anything clearly through the darkness. I thought must have been going insane because I could faintly hear a whisper carried on the draft. As soon as the current died down, it came back with a vengeance only this time I definitely heard a voice. It was frightening me so much that my knees were threatening to right buckle under me. I listened closer to try and listen to what the wind was telling me.

"_...Here...We're here..."_

"What? Who's there?"

I called out, on the verge of tears but it was a while before I got a reply. I stood there waiting and waiting until I felt a blast of wind, stronger than any of the others.

"_...Help us...We're here...help us Rose..."_

"Kitty? Tikal, Jules? Where are you?"

"..._Here..._"

The tears had begun to fall from my petrified eyes. The voices started to fade away; I was alone once more, cold and afraid. I thought I would be frozen forever and started to panic as I focused all my energy on regaining control of my body. Just then I heard somebody speak up from behind but it was a new voice; one I knew all too well.

"_...Amy, you need to help them... You need to save them!"_

"Feathers! Wha- How are you here?"

"_You need to help them Amy! You're the only one who can..."_

"I don't know how! Please Feathers- Wave... You need to tell me how."

"_...Help them..."_

I finally forced myself to turn around and face her. There she was, standing in front of me; violet feathers unmoving despite the blow of the wind, for only a couple of seconds before she started to disappear. I called out to her once more but she vanished, without a trace; leaving no evidence that she was ever there. The wind was still howling in my ears and ran out of the alleyway and back into the light. When I reached the end of the passage however, I was back on the other side of the street, looking back at the sordid neighborhood. Everything in sight then became white and I had this falling sensation that made me want scream. I then sat up in my bed, covered in sweat, my eyes wide open and staring frantically around my room and was gasping for breath. I started to calm down as I realized that it was only a dream; or a nightmare rather. I removed the covers, walked over to my open window and shut it. I stepped out of my room and went straight to the bathroom to splash some water in my face. I looked at myself in the new mirror when I was done; this time not tempted to smash it with my fist. I saw a very tired and startled individual staring back at me. I tried to relax my facial expression to look less freaked out and fixed up my hair. I wandered into the hallway and looked up at the clock that read 9:30 A.M.

_Damn it! They're going to be back soon; I should get properly dressed but my stomach is begging me for food._

I hadn't eaten much the night before and it left me quite famished. I let my hunger get the better of me and had some toast and peanut butter before getting ready. I stuffed it in my mouth in a hurry, not even bothering to get a plate. I then ran back to my room and changed out of my pajamas and into my jeans and a red t-shirt. I made my way over to the bathroom and brushed my teeth then waited in silence until I heard a knock on the door.

_Huh? Are they back already? Why would they knock when they live here? Better get it anyway..._

I peered through the peephole on the door and saw a figure with auburn hair standing outside. I opened the door without unlocking the chain just in case I didn't know the person. I was surprised at who was there; not exactly who I was expecting at all.

"Dr. Fox? What are you doing here?"

"Oh hi Amy! Is Sonic there? I need to speak with him."

"Um, no he's out right now, but he should be back soon if you want to wait for him."

"Oh that would nice, could you let me in?"

"Sure just let me unlock the door."

I closed the door and thought for a moment.

_What the hell is she doing here? And what does she want with Sonic? I was her patient, not him. Hm..._

I unlocked the chain and opened the door once more to let her in. She looked around as she walked in, her high heels making a sharp clacking noise on the hard wood floor every time she stepped anywhere. I gestured that she could take a seat on the couch as she looked around the apartment. She then smiled at me, sat down and crossed her legs. The room went awkwardly silent; the sound of the clock ticking away in the hall was the only noise audible. I decided that I would break the silence.

"So... What do you want Sonic for?"

"Oh, um, he asked me a, um, medical question a while back and, uh, I was just getting back to him about it..."

I just nodded. The way she was speaking; she sounded a bit unsure of herself. I walked over to a chair in the living room and took a seat opposite her. Out of boredom, I let my curiosity wander out of my brain through my mouth.

"What was the question?"

"Sorry? Oh, right, the question. Oh, uh, just some- thing about a type of medication."

The way it came out, it sounded more like she was asking me than telling me. I was getting a bit suspicious and she seemed to be getting nervous. I tried to pry as much out of her as possible before the others got home.

"Is Sonic sick?"

"What? No, not that I know of."

"Then why would he be asking you about medication?"

"Oh, uh, he was just curious..."

"If it wasn't serious, then couldn't you have just called?"

"Oh, well I suppose I could have, it's just that he hasn't been answering my calls lately so I thought I'd drop by."

"You've called him more than once about this? That's odd for something that's unimportant."

"Well, I just wanted him to get the information... That's all."

"Hmm..."

I got amused with her anxious behavior and would have annoyed her further but the door then opened and a very loud, green hedgehog walked in. I assumed that it must be Sonic and Sonia's brother Manic; either that or a new neighbor had just barged in on the wrong house.

"Home at last!"

I just stared at him for a while and waited until the others walked in before I announced my presence.

"Hey Amy, I'd like you to- Fiona? What are you doing here?!"

"I was hoping I could speak with you... privately. About that question you asked me a while ago."

"What question?"

I looked at her and saw her sending him a message through her expression that had worry written across it.

"You know, that question about those pills that you asked me about and I told you I would get back to you on it?"

"Pills? Oh, that question! Oh uh, yeah, why don't we talk outside then."

Dr. Fox stood up and rushed out the door but not before saying goodbye to me. Sonic followed her and closed the door. I was eager to press my ear against the door and listen in about this so-called pill question but there were others in the room so I just walked up Sonia who was helping Manic to bring the last of his bags in from the hall.

"Oh Amy! This is Manic; Manic this is Amy!"

"Nice to meet you."

I extended my right hand as a greeting gesture which he shook very rapidly. He had on these oddly shaped sunglasses even though it was a cloudy day. He stood back and stared at me for a while before speaking.

"So you're the one who's been occupying my room for the last month and half, huh?"

"Yup."

"Well, you gonna tell me why that is?"

"Huh? Wh-what do you mean?"

"Manic! Stop that; I told you to be nice."

Sonia interjected before he could answer. I guess they hadn't told them anything about why I was here. I was appreciative that they gave me the option to choose when I wanted to say it but, in a way, I was secretly hoping that they would tell him so I wouldn't have to. It was still hard for me to talk about without getting emotional. Manic just walked away and dove into the fridge. Sonia just rolled her eyes and walked over to me.

"Sorry about that. I really have no words to describe Manic for you; just expect the unexpected."

"Haha, alright."

She cheered me up right away. That was Sonia for you; always positive and spreading her happiness wherever she went. I started pacing a bit around the space between the kitchen and the living room, trying to pass the time until somebody spoke. It turned out, I was the first to ask a question.

"So, Manic, what do you study at university?"

"Oh, uh, I'm in Literature."

"Oh, really? That sounds interesting. What do you do?"

"Write, read, analyze, same kinda stuff you would do in your high school English class only harder."

"Oh, I see..."

But I didn't see. I had never been in a class room and had no idea how you could analyze a piece of literature. It made me kind of sad the way I had missed out on everything I should have already experienced. Sonia must have noticed my mood change because even thought I couldn't see it directly, I felt her eyes on me, an apologetic stare boring into my back. I stood there for a few minutes trying to refocus my thoughts but Sonic stepped back into the apartment and distracted me from them anyways.

"Sorry about that. She just had some things to tell me."

I walked back up to him and stared at him, not entirely believing what neither he said nor how _Fiona _was acting.

"What was that really about?"

"I just asked her a medical question, that's all. What, you don't believe me?"

"Not really. Now what was that really about? It was strange the way she just came all the way here to answer a question wasn't it?"

I held my gaze until I saw him flinch back a bit and then sigh.

"Alright, you really want to know?"

"Mhmm!"

"Okay, I didn't want to tell you but... we're dating."

"I knew it!"

I didn't even have a chance to respond before Sonia shouted from across the room. I just started giggling and Manic turned around, a combination of different types of food in his hands.

"Nice bro! She was so hot!"

"Manic, please! Have some respect!"

"Sorry! But she was."

Sonia continued to scold Manic in the kitchen while Sonic just made his way towards them. I was still trying to wrap my head around them being together. Trying to survive instead of growing up didn't leave me much time to ponder the thought of love. I didn't what it felt like to have someone love me or to love someone else. Sure I had read about it in books and had seen how shows on TV had tried to portray it, but it always seemed pretty vague to me; too much perfection in it. When I thought about it really hard, it was almost as though they were trying to tell people what they were supposed to be feeling inside when they 'fell in love'. I was momentarily lost in thought before Sonic burst my bubble.

"Amy? You okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, just thinking about this weird dream I had. It felt kind of like a premonition."

"Really? Care to share?"

I didn't mean for it to come up but it was all that I could think to say instead of saying my real thoughts.

"Oh, um, not really. I don't remember it much to be honest. There's just something that makes me wonder a bit. I would like to visit the police that are on the case for my friends though."

"Whoa, that serious? Alright, well we can go in sometime during the week or-"

"Can we go today? It's kind of important."

Now that I'd mentioned it, I wanted to tell them as fast as possible. I felt bad for interrupting their family reunion but I felt worse about where the girls were.

_What did Wave mean by 'I'm the only one who can'? Were the investigators truly lost on their whereabouts? I guess I'll find out soon enough..._

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_**That's the end of this chapter! I'll try and get chapter thirteen up soon so stay tuned! Hope you liked this one and please tell me what you thought of it in the reviews, I can't say enough how much I appreciate them, critical ones too just no flames because those are not appreciated. Anyway thanks for reading and come back again!**_

_**- DarkRose**_


	13. Shocking Me

_**Hey so I've got a new chapter for you and it's really long because I don't know when I'll have the time for the next one with school and all. Anyway, lots of stuff happens in this one so please enjoy!**_

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_Chapter Thirteen: Shocking Me_

It was nice having my brother back in the house. He always had this humorous charm in his attitude but he didn't have a very sensitive personality. Sonia and I had warned him on the ride back to not ask too many questions when he first met Amy; sadly he wasn't so good at following rules either. We decided that it would be best for Amy if we waited until she wanted to tell him about what she'd been through; it didn't feel fair to say it without her permission. After all, it was _her _past, not ours. As I parked the car in our specific spot at the apartment building, Manic jumped right out of the car and immediately started grabbing at his bags from the trunk. He had gone on about how much he hated his dorm room at the university for nearly half an hour. He ran through the door and hopped into the elevator, carrying only two of his bags, leaving the other 4 to us. For one person, he sure had a lot of things to bring with him. We carried his stuff upstairs and dropped it in front of the door, panting.

"Remind why are we carrying all of _your _stuff?"

"Because you're my brother and sister and you love me very much!"

"Ha, more like lackeys..."

Sonia unlocked the door and was about to step inside but Manic rushed in before her, rudely. She had an annoyed expression on her face and seemed quite irritated. I just laughed to myself in disbelief of my brother's carelessness. He had never watched what he did or said, even when told to do so repeatedly. I could hear him already settling himself in from the hallway outside.

"Home at last!"

Sonia and I followed in shortly after carrying in the last of his bags. I was about to introduce Manic to Amy as I was walking in. However, I was startled the moment I stepped over the threshold to see a familiar but surprising face sitting on the living room couch.

"Hey Amy, I'd like you to- Fiona? What are you doing here?"

I stared at her, a puzzled expression pasted on my face. She smiled at me and then spoke casually, as if I was to know that she would present at the apartment.

"I was hoping I could speak with you... privately. About that question you asked me a while ago."

"What question?"

I was completely confused; I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. I thought that I was losing it until she exchanged a glance with me that told me 'play along'. I sighed inwardly; relieved that I wasn't succumbing to dementia just yet. I was way too young to forget everything. I was still confused about why she was there but I went along with it until I could ask her at a better convenience.

"Oh, uh, why don't we talk outside about those... pills?"

I led her back out into the hall and closed the door. This must have seemed like the strangest thing to the others in the room. None of them knew that we were dating so surely it was even more puzzling to see her there for them than it was for me. I closed the door behind us and moved further away from it.

"What the hell are you doing here Fiona!?"

"Well, you refused to answer my calls, don't reply to my messages and have blatantly been ignoring me for the last three weeks! What the hell is up with that?!"

"Look, I'm really sorry, I did mean to get back to you, things have just been hectic and I didn't want burden you with it all. I really regret it though; I've missed you so much!"

"Aw really? Then why the hell have you been avoiding me! You know that I'm here for you but clearly you don't trust me enough to help you with your issues. Maybe I should just go, this was a huge mistake."

I could see the tears forming in her eyes. I was definitely not good at handling girls when they were upset and the last time I had gotten a girl angry at me, she threatened me! In a act of desperation, I pulled her back towards me to stop her from walking away. I wasn't ready to tell her about Sally just yet but I also didn't want to lie to her. Either way, I had to make a decision quickly.

"Don't go Fiona. I do trust you, it's just with my brother coming back and my work load being doubled, I haven't had the time or the energy to get back to you. I only want to be at my best when I'm around you because that's what you deserve. If I'm tired and apathetical, then you would think that I don't care about you and that's exactly the opposite of what I want you to think."

It wasn't a total lie. I did have much more on my plate than usual but that wasn't the only reason that I hadn't seen or called her. I was afraid that if I took her on a date that Sally would show up and tell her everything. From what I'd witnessed in her not-so-finest moment, she was nuttier than a squirrel; considering she is one!

_Oh, I hope she buys this crap!_

"Oh, do you mean that?"

"Every word."

_Lying through my teeth!_

"Oh Sonic; you had worried all this time for nothing!"

"You were worried about me?"

"Well, actually, I was more worried that you had forgotten about me and started seeing other women..."

I was frozen for a minute. I didn't know if she was calling me out or it was just a coincidence that she had thought that up. I tried to loosen up from my tense posture and grinned widely at her.

"But now I don't have to worry anymore because I know that I was just being silly!"

She had an adorable curl on her lips as they curved into a smile. I was hoping that we could just make it past this and I would never have to admit to my little infidelity.

"I would love for you to stay but you know, the others don't really know about us and we're having this 'family reunion' kind of thing but I promise I will call you!"

"I understand. Sorry for dropping by so unexpected-"

"There's no need to apologize."

"Well I'm happy we worked things out. I'll talk to you soon then!"

"Bye, Fiona."

She strutted back down the steps and I stood there in front of my door until the clacking of her heels on the linoleum stairs faded away. I walked back inside the apartment to see a set of curious eyes on me coming from a certain pink hedgehog.

"Sorry about that. She just had some things to tell me."

I was hoping that this would quench her thirsty inquiries but to my dismay, it did not. Next, she bombarded me with questions that I could not completely answer without revealing our secret relationship to the household. As her queries kept coming left and right, I thought about something I had never pondered before.

_What's the big deal with us being together? It's not like she's Amy's doctor anymore so why keep it a secret any longer?_

"Alright, you really want to know?"

"Mhmm!"

The expression on her face was one that was longing to know what I was going to respond.

"Okay, I didn't want to tell you but... we're dating."

I saw her face go from pure interest to one of almost confusion. It looked as if she was expecting me to say that I had a life threatening disease that could only be cured by some top secret medication. Similar to a child discovering that Easter bunny doesn't exist, she then went into a state of emotionless wonder, her eyes darting blankly at the wall. Her reaction actually surprised me but then it occurred to me, she wasn't too familiar with relationships. She grew up relying purely on instinct and driving herself forward with fear. It would take some time for her to get used to the idea of affection and love. It pained me a bit to realize that she hadn't been shown anything of those sorts for ten years. When I looked back at her, she was still in deep thought.

"Amy? You okay?"

When she snapped back into reality, I heard the usual background noise of the house that was Manic and Sonia arguing. My thoughts were back on Amy as she finally responded.

"Huh? Oh yeah, just thinking about this weird dream I had. It felt kind of like a premonition."

"Really? Care to share?"

This was intriguing. I thought that it must have been the medication still settling in her body even though it had been practically a month since she began taking them. There had been times within the first two weeks where she told us that she would wake up at odd hours of the night for no particular reason but she had never told us about any lucid dreams. What she said next came as a bit of a shock to me.

"Oh, um, not really. I don't remember it much to be honest. There's just something that makes me wonder a bit. I would like to visit the police that are on the case for my friends though."

_This is getting really weird. Why would she need to speak to the police? I thought Sonia just called them yesterday and they said they had nothing? What is she not letting on about? What did she dream?_

I just nodded my head and tried to think of a possible time we could go. I assumed that since it was only a dream, she couldn't be in much of a hurry. Once again, I had predicted wrongfully.

"Can we go today? It's kind of important."

"Oh, uh, sure that's no problem if you think it's that serious."

"I do."

She was most definitely determined to get something to the police as fast as possible; I only wished I knew what it was.

xXx

There we were, pulling up to the police station again; it almost felt like we had been visiting this place every week. Amy hurriedly made her way into the small edifice. I followed in more slowly still trying to figure out what she could possibly have needed to tell them that was so dire.

"Hi I need to speak with the police that are on the missing gi-"

"Hello again Ms. Rose, they're on coffee break right now, you'll have to wait a little bit."

The cop at the front desk didn't even look up from the newspaper he was reading; he already knew what she was going to ask him. They had been getting used to her weekly visits. I took a seat on a bench near the door and Amy sat down next to me.

"You wanna tell me what the hell is so important? What do you know?"

"I-I can't say. Not yet. I need to tell them alone. I promise it's nothing dangerous, it's just that dream... It felt so real!"

"Whoa, we're here because you had some distorted vision?"

"It wasn't any normal dream, I swear! The girls- I think I know where he could have taken them. I can't tell you anymore but I'm sure I've got a possible lead."

"Amy, I know you want to help but how can you possibly know where they could be? This monster could have taken them outside the district and halfway to another city by now!"

I hadn't meant for it to come out so cold and heartless. I saw the horror written in her expression and I immediately wanted to take it back. It came out all wrong; I only wanted her to answer my question but I had gone too far.

"Amy, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant they could be anywhere and that your dream could be the result of anything else."

Just then the police officers on the case walked through the doors. Amy turned away from me and jumped up from the bench.

"Hi, I'm really sorry to bother you- again; but this time it's really _really _serious!"

"Come with me to my office, we'll talk there."

I got up to follow them but Amy looked back and shot me a glare of detest that glued me to my spot. I had to admit, I wouldn't want me there either after what had just spilled out of my mouth. I would have to find some way of making it up to her.

I waited for around fifteen minutes, checking my phone every five seconds, tapping my foot incessantly on the floor as the minutes flashed to the next number.

_12:02 P.M. Come on, what is taking her so long! Wait- what was that? There she is!_

I saw the pink hedgehog exiting the of cop's office. I shot upright and stared at her eagerly as she approached me. I was expecting her to have had a slight change in her attitude but she just walked by me as if I wasn't there and marched out the front door, towards the car. I thought that I must have really struck a nerve with what I had said and I felt really lousy about it. I kept up pace just behind her and waited until she was inside the car to say something.

"Amy, I'm really sorry about that; I know it was stupid of me and I wasn't thinking."

She didn't even look up; it was as if she didn't even here me. She no longer had a frown on her face but it was just a blank stare; which somehow frightened me more. She looked lost in her own mind and this time, I thought I'd just leave her to it for now. I started the engine and drove off back home.

Not a word was spoken on the ride back. I would glance at Amy every now and then from the corner of my eye to see if she'd changed her mood; she hadn't moved since she got inside. As we pulled up to our parking spot, she got out and walked alone up to the front door, then disappeared behind the glass. I stayed seated in the driver's seat for a while, thinking of something I could do.

_Maybe I just need to give her time. I apologized; what more can I do?_

Letting it drift to the back of my mind, I got out and approached the front door. I walked up the steps and entered my apartment to find my brother slumped lazily on the couch and my sister staring at me through squinted eyes. I walked up to her to find out what her problem was.

"What's up sis? Why you lookin' at me like that?"

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"At the police station. Amy just came up here and didn't even say hi. She just stormed off to her room. Something must have happened."

"I don't know what she told them, she insisted on speaking with them alone. I don't know what she's keeping from us."

"That's it? She just walked into the office and came out in a bad mood? Are you sure that's all that happened?"

"Alright, I _may_ have blurted out that her missing friends could be half way to the next district by now-"

"WHAT!? Sonic you insensitive ass! Were you purposely trying to traumatize her?"

"What! Of course not; I just wasn't thinking."

"Good going bro! And you thought _I _would say the wrong thing!"

"Shut up, Manic!"

Sonia and I both had the same idea as we spoke at the same time. She then turned back and glared at me with eyes as sharp as daggers; it felt like she was boring into my soul.

_If looks could kill..._

I staggered away and wandered off to my room. I hoped that despite Sonia loud octave, that Amy couldn't hear us. I closed my door and flopped on my bed. I was tired and the day was only half way done. I took out my phone from my pocket and saw that I had a message from Knuckles

_Knuckles – Hey, heard that Manic's back! Why don't you bring him over to my place to chill?_

_Sonic – Be there in 20_

Knuckles had always put on a brave face but I knew deep down inside that he was just as anxious for the police to find the girls as Amy was. He asked me if I'd heard any more news on the case every time I saw him and, as my response always was, the answer was 'I know just as much as you'. I felt bad for the guy; having his hope sparked only to be gradually diminished by the wait.

I got up off of my bed and went to go ask Manic if he was up for it. He was in the exact same position as when I walked in; his eyes still glued to the television screen. Absolutely nothing had changed with him; he had always been lazy and he probably always would be.

"Yo, Knuckles and the rest of the guys wanna chill, you coming?"

"Will there be beer?"

"Most likely."

"Alright, see you later then sis. Come on let's go!"

I just stifled a laugh at how quickly he jumped at the chance of free alcohol. I myself wasn't planning on drinking due to a recent string of events. Manic put on his shoes and ran out the door. I followed more slowly, fully aware of Sonia's mincing stare from her spot at the kitchen table. I rolled my eyes and faced her.

"What now?"

"How can you leave just like that after what went down today?"

"I apologized, isn't that enough?"

I left without hearing her response. I honestly couldn't take anymore judgement or criticism at this point. I was already stressed out over the whole situation with Amy and didn't want to listen to anyone who was just going to make me feel even worse about it. I sped down the stairs in a flash and jumped into my car. Manic was already in the passenger's seat. I looked at him and started chuckling.

"What'd I do?"

"Nothing, just being yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You never really grew up, did you?"

"Hey, I'm older than you! You're the one who's still a little wimp! Can't even handle a little girl on your own..."

"What's you say? You know nothing about her, so I'd shut up right now if I were you!"

"Whoa, bro, chill for a sec. All I said was that she's being a bit of a brat and nobody's told me why you let her act like that yet."

"It's... complicated. And don't call her a brat; she's been through a lot."

_A lot of things that I just ignored when I said what I did today..._

I sighed and started the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot. It took around fifteen minutes to reach Knuckles apartment. When we walked inside, Manic was greeted right away. Rouge was there as well as Tails by the time we got there. Knuckles stepped up to him and handed him a beer.

"Hey dude! Been almost a year; how's life at the university?"

"It's school... with lots of parties and chicks!"

"Haha, that's the Manic I know!"

Knuckles walked over to his fridge and came back with a second beer, handing it to me when he approached me.

"Oh, no thanks; I'm actually trying to stay away from alcohol for a bit."

"Why man, something happen?"

"Uh, actually yeah. It was kinda bad so I'm gonna lay off it for a while."

"Oh, wow. So what was it?"

"I, um, don't really want to talk about it..."

"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad!"

I pulled him aside so we were out of Manic's hearing range. I wasn't prepared to deal with his big mouth about Sally.

"I sort of cheated... with Amy's social worker."

"Oh shit dude!"

"That's not all; when I woke up to what I'd done, she wouldn't let it go and now she's out to get me."

"Oh no, you got yourself a crazy one! Does your other girl know?"

"No, no, it was a while ago and she thinks that I've just been stressed from work and I intend to keep it that way. I like Fiona a lot and I don't want to let one stupid mistake ruin our relationship. I think it could get serious with her."

"Wow well don't let Rouge hear you; she'll let you have it for lying straight to this Fiona's face!"

I shuddered. Rouge got pretty aggressive when she was mad about something. For someone who had to stay calm all day long; she had a pretty good arm when it came to people who annoyed her. That was one of the reasons Knuckles loved her so much. I saw a green flash from the corner of my eye as Manic somehow maneuvered his way into the conversation.

"Did I just hear you guys talking about a Fiona? I used to date a Fiona, you know?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, back when I was a sophmore in high school. She was a senior and man was she ever hot!"

"What was her last name?"

"Oh she was definitely named after her sexiness; she was a fox!"

_What!? Manic went out with Fiona in high school? I would have still been in middle school if he was a sophomore so I would have never seen her._

"Um, hey Manic, she wouldn't happen to be the same 'fox' that was in our living room this morning, would she?"

"Actually come to think of it, I did think she was familiar; bro are you dating my ex?"

"Well it looks like you couldn't keep her!"

"Dude now that I'm thinking of the past, I also clearly remember her being easy with the jocks! I caught her when she was in the middle of having fun with that jackass Scourge."

"What? It was her that did that to you? I thought that was another girl."

"No, it was her. I remember it loud and clear. She called me a little boy and made off with him. But looks like he couldn't keep her either."

"I hope that's the last she's seen of him."

"Oh don't worry about it bro, that was ages ago! I'm sure she doesn't even remember him. She sure as hell didn't remember me..."

He grumbled the last part to himself with an annoyed frown plastered to his face. I hoped he was right. I didn't want to distrust Fiona, but it made me suspicious for the moment.

We dropped her as a topic and had fun for the rest of the day; heading home at around six. I dropped Manic off at the apartment building and then headed off to have a chat with a certain someone.

xXx

"Now tell me Sonic, why in the world did you ask me to meet you at such a shady bar?"

Sally Acorn sat across from me at the Sapphire; the bar me and the guys went to all the time. I thought about for a while during our little gathering; the only thing that was holding me and Fiona back from getting more serious was Sally's crazed revenge stalking. I wasn't about to let her tear apart the one thing that wasn't complicated or stressful in my life.

"What do you want from me exactly? I wanna know and I wanna know right now. Is it money, cuz I'm not exactly rich-"

"I don't want anything from you Sonic. I'm just a little heartbroken from the lack of sympathy you showed me the morning after our magical night."

"Wha- magical? I was so drunk I couldn't even remember what happened let alone make rational decisions!"

"There you go again with your insensitivity! Don't you know how much I've been hurting inside? We could have had something special, you and I but you let it all just slip away for your precious _Fiona!_"

"How do you know my girlfriends' name? I never one told you that!"

"Oh please, like I didn't notice her little drop in this morning at your apartment. I saw her exit all giggles and smiles. It pissed off for the rest of the afternoon."

"So now you're spying on me! You are one twisted-"

"I'll have you know that I can have Amy taken out of your hands in a matter of hours. Don't forget; I'm still in charge of that case and I can make a report at anytime deeming you unfit to take care of her. Is that what you want?"

"What? No, you can't do that; she needs to stay with us, it's all that she's used to, you'd just make it much worse for her if she's bouncing from home to home on top of dealing with all of this! How could you do that?!"

"Because I love you and I'll do anything to get you back! Ever since we first met at the hospital, I've known that you had to be mine!"

"Look squirrel, I barely know you! And if you think that taking Amy from me will make me want you, you've got another thing coming! I'm reporting you to Child Welfare so they can have your psycho ass fired!"

I was enraged at her blackmail towards me and I wasn't about to let her take over anything. What was unexpectedly impulsive of me was that the person who came to mind when I thought of losing someone was Amy not Fiona. The truth was, subconsciously, I still felt that duty and responsibility to that helpless girl I found in the middle of the road on that rainy night in the woods. I still viewed her as vulnerable and frail even though she had grown so much mentally and emotionally since then.

_Why do I feel like I have to protect her no matter what?_

It all confused me so. I departed the bar and hopped in my car. From my window, I could see the small shattered expression on Sally's face with tears rolling down her cheeks. I turned away and drove off.

_Good. She deserves to feel sad._

I arrived back at the apartment at around eight o'clock. Sonia came out of her room when I came in. She was carrying a sheet and pillow with her towards the couch.

"Where were you?"

"Out taking care of some things."

"Things like what?"

"The social worker."

"I thought you were done with her."

"Yeah, _I _am but she's not done with me. She's really pissed but I think I've got her. I'm planning on calling her head office and letting them know what she's doing."

"About time. I hope you chose your words carefully; if you upset her too much then she might come back even stronger."

"I don't remember what I said. I just want her to disappear."

"I want that too. I don't want her near here ever again."

"What's with the pillow?"

"Sleeping on the couch. Manic's in my room since he's had to sleep in a smelly dorm for the past 7 months."

"Oh well he could've taken my room and I could sleep on the couch."

"No, I wake up earlier than you do so it's just make more sense for me to do it."

"Okay, if that's what you want."

It was a nice reminder of just how much Sonia gave up for me and my brother growing up. She was honestly the best sister I could have asked for. She was always there to guide us in the right direction even if we didn't think it at the time. She was so caring and full of positive energy that it was almost impossible to stay mad at her for long. I really appreciated having her in my life; I don't know what I'd do without her.

I made my way over to the kitchen and took out something to eat then brushed my teeth and went to bed. All the stress of the day had really gotten to me. It was 8:30 and I was already wiped out. I had to stop letting my problems occupy all of my energy. As I close to passed-out on my bed, I heard my phone buzz twice in a row. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the screen.

_Fiona – Luv u 3_

I smiled at the first text. I was really hoping that the whole Sally thing would be a thing of the past and I would never have to hurt her like she hurt my brother all those years ago. I pressed to see the other message but it read as an unknown number. I clicked to open it up.

_Unknown Number – D': - S. A._

There was only one person who I knew with the initials S.A. It made me shutter so much I threw my phone on my nightstand and tried to forget about it in my sleep.

xXx

It had been almost a week since I called Social Services to report Sally's 'unprofessional' behavior. I told them everything that had happened and I got the response I was hoping to get.

"_Thank you for informing us. This isn't the first time she's become obsessed with a case except the last time, it had to do with a client. She's already been warned about getting involved with clients so I assure this will be her last case as an employee of this office._"

"Thank you very much, have a nice day!"

_Yes! I'm finally done with her._

And that was the end of Sally Acorn that had to do with me. I blissfully wished for some sort of celebration and who better to celebrate with than your partner? I called up Fiona to come over later in the evening and meet the others. Everything was going according to plan but Amy was still distant and cold. I hadn't forgotten about the thing I said to her and she didn't seem to be in a hurry to forgive me for it. She had gone out for more walks on her own during the week and they seemed to last longer too. I tried searching for her a couple of times but she was never able to be found. I began to worry about her. I was afraid that she was going to be taken again and this time it would be all my fault for drawing her away. These thoughts always swirled around my mind and lingered in my dreams.

I had no time to focus on it as I awaited Fiona's arrival. I was anxious to hear what she would have to say to Manic about their previous relationship. I found myself tapping my fingers incessantly against the table until I heard a knock on the door. I jumped up and kicked Manic off the couch and called to Sonia and Amy. Sonia came out of her room but Amy was nowhere to be found. I ran to the door and gingerly opened it up. There stood Fiona, beautiful as ever, in a short, sleeveless black dress that hugged her in all the right spots; it was sexy yet not too revealing. She casually stepped inside the house, her heels making slight clacks against the wooden floor as she walked across the hall to greet the others. I could see the irritated look on Manic's face as he recognized his ex-girlfriend who was now with his younger brother. I shot him a sympathetic glance that begged him to play nice and not make any unnecessary stupid comments.

"Hey Fiona, I thought your face was familiar! Don't you remember you dear old boyfriend from high school?"

"Oh, Manic, is that you? I didn't know you and Sonic were friends."

"Actually I'm his older brother. Not such a little boy now, am I?"

"Manic..."

I glared in his direction, pleading him to shut up. I turned and smiled at Fiona as I pulled out a chair for her to sit down at the table. We were only supposed to have a small introduction and then we were going to go out somewhere.

"I have to say Manic, I felt terrible over the way we ended and I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for my actions they were hurtful and careless and I truly do apologize for it. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"Yeah, I guess I can since I suppose I'll be seeing you around more often now that you and Sonic are together."

She smiled widely and giggled a bit. Her laugh was so cute, it made my heart flutter.

_How could I even think of losing this girl?_

We were sitting there talking for a while until we heard a rapid knocking at the front door. It startled us as it was unexpected. I stood up and looked at the others around me.

"Are we expecting anybody?"

"No."

They all shook their heads. Amy then came out of her room as I walked over to the door.

"Who's that?"

I shrugged my shoulders and opened peeped through the whole but the person had their hand over it. I opened the door with the chain still on and peered through. The door was then slammed into by the individual, ripping the chain, right out of the wall. Sally then stepped in, an angered expression on her face.

"You bastard! I lost my job because of you! And now you're going to pay!"

"Sally what the hell are you doing here?!"

"I saw your little girlfriend pull up and I felt the need to tell her the little secret you've been keeping from her."

"What secret Sonic? Who is this?"

Fiona was now walking towards me with a worried look. I tried to think of something to say but Amy running out of the apartment distracted me. Sally then continued talking.

"Oh so I was right; you haven't told her about our special moment together!"

"What!? I can't believe you'd cheat on me! I knew you were lying those last few weeks! I'm out of here."

She stormed out the door leaving Sally and I alone with Manic and Sonia. I desperately wanted to go after Fiona and Amy but I had to get her out of here first.

"Sally you've done enough damage! Now get out!"

"So you can crawl back to her? No way! If you just give me a chance Sonic, I'll show you that I'm ten times better than any girlfriend you've ever had!"

She had tears running down her face but I didn't care I turned back to Sonia and begged for help with my eyes.

"I'm calling the police if you don't leave!"

"Fine. I'll leave. But Sonic, just know that this is your last chance to be with your soulmate!"

She then turned and fled in the same direction as the other two. I had a moment of relief that was short-lived by my memory of the missing pink hedgehog and the infuriated fox. Manic broke the silence next.

"I don't know who the hell that was or what the fuck just happened but you seemed to have found yourself in quite the troublesome predicament. I don't why she'd act like that I mean you really aren't that great."

"Shut it, Manic! I have to go after Fiona."

"No you have to go after Amy first!"

Sonia was right. It would be better to let Fiona calm down a bit anyway and Amy was the real priority in this situation. It was so unlike her to run out like that randomly. I suppose all the drama was getting to her and she rightfully shouldn't have had to see that but it was getting dark and I had no idea where she had gone. I sped down the stairs and into my car. I rolled down the window and started calling her name.

"Amy! Amy, where are you!? It's not safe at this hour!"

I drove around frantically searching for anything pink and it was around ten minutes before I did. I saw her moving down the road toward a neglected region of Mobius. It was very sketchy and most definitely not a place for a little girl to be running around alone. I parked the car on the side and chased after her. When I arrived at the edge of the street that separated the ghetto from the rest of the area, I lost sight of her. I ran in and looked around madly, trying to pick up any clue as to where she went. It felt like forever before I found her approaching and especially dark alleyway. She paused for a moment and then began down the path. I followed calling out her name but it was almost as if she was entranced. She came to a stop near a door at the end of the alley. I finally caught up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here!? Do you know how much you scared me? Come on, we're going right now!"

"No! Not yet, they're in there, I know it!"

"Who's in there?"

Suddenly we heard banging coming from the door. It was rusty and uncared for. The handle looked like it could easily be broken off if forced from our side. I grabbed her hand and started leading her away from it.

"No, let me go! We need to open it up!"

"Amy-"

We then began to hear cries from behind the door and the banging continued endlessly. I stepped forward and pulled on the door handle. It was rusted in spot and wouldn't budge.

"I guess it's stronger than it looks."

I looked around for something I could use to smash it. Whoever was in there seemed desperate to escape so I wanted to help. I found a metal pipe laying on the side of the wall and picked it up. I told Amy to stand back as I started hitting the pipe against the handle of the door until it came off. Once it did, I pulled the door from the empty space until it swing open with a loud creek. Out rushed several small and frail girls, falling to the ground in tears, fear emitting from their very spirits as they lay before me in a state of shock. I looked over at Amy to see her face sharing a matching expression.

"Oh my God... Oh my God!"

_Did she just find them? Did we just save them?_

* * *

_**Please leave a review telling me what you thought and if you want to see more! The next chapter might take longer for me to post so you'll have to wait a bit :( but I think this should be enough for now don't you think? Anyways, thank you for your interest in my story and thanks so much to the people who review, it really means a lot! Til next time :D**_

_**- DarkRose**_


	14. Missing Me

_**Hiya! I'm back with an all new chapter! Sorry it took me this long with school and all 0_o. I'd like to thank everyone for all the lovely reviews! It always means so much to me so please keep it up! Haha, I'll stop talking now and let you read on :P**_

* * *

_Chapter Fourteen: Missing Me_

"_This monster could have taken them outside the district and halfway to another city by now!"_

I couldn't believe that he had said that right to my face. I was speechless at that moment. There was nothing I could think of to counter it because it was true. I had made Sonic bring me to the police station so that I could ask the officers if they had searched that exact area yet. My dream had guided me a very specific spot in that neglected part of town as a way to entrust me to find the missing girls. I couldn't stop thinking about them afterward and the thought of discovering them left my mind restless and unfocused. I walked into the police station confident that I would be providing the officers with an intelligible lead in the case but found myself rather disappointed with the outcome.

"I have something important to ask you."

"Alright, Amy. Go on, what is it?"

"I... had this thought that, well- have you checked in that run down neighborhood off in the east part of town?"

"I think I know the place you're talking about and yes we've passed around there but didn't uncover anything. I'm sorry."

"But... there's a certain place. You see, I had this dream where I was transported to this dark alley and there was this door and I couldn't move and then I was told that they were there, at that exact spot! You have to go and look there; you have to-"

"Oh Amy. I know this must be extremely hard for you but dreams can be deceiving. We can't waste time searching an area when there are much more plausible places that they could have rushed off to. It's highly unlikely that he took them to a city as populated as Mobius."

"But you can't just blow it off! You have to at least look there!"

"I'll talk it over with my boss but if his reply is to expand our search elsewhere than I have no power."

"It wasn't just any dream! It was more like a vision; I know the place exists."

"You've been there yourself?"

"Well, not exactly but Fea- _Wave _brought me there. You know the one who wrote that letter you still keep?"

"Yes, I remember. It seems to me that you're going through a stressful time and that your dreams are just a product of your imagination and anxiety."

"But that's just-"

"Look, I'll see what I can do but as far as authority over the case goes, my hands are tied. Until then, please try and stay out of harm's way and do _not _go searching for them yourself, is that clear? Leave the investigation up to us."

"Fine."

"It was good to see you, Amy. I'll walk you o-"

"I can show myself out, thank you."

I left the building with a dark cloud lingering over my head and grief's hand slapped over my mouth. I didn't want to talk to anyone after the conversation I had just had. Despite Sonic's desperate attempts at apology, the words did not escape my lips to tell him that his words had been pushed to the back of my mind by my dissatisfaction at the police's cooperation. I didn't understand why they would just put me aside when I was the ideal in the case. The more I thought about it, the more bitterness I felt towards the people who claimed they were trying to help me.

_How can they just disregard everything I believe in like that? It seems to me that they're not too interested in finding them right now..._

I was having my doubts on the amount of concern they were putting into the case and was beginning to worry over how soon the girls would be found. I didn't want to heed the officer's warning to stay away from a self investigation; I felt helpless and guilty that I hadn't been doing more to help I the search. It felt like a duty and that I owed it to them to find them. As I thought all of this, I seemed to have blacked out from the world around me because when I came to, we were already home. I sped out of the car and rushed into the building. I was definitely in no mood to discuss what I was feeling so, without a word to any of the others in the apartment I guided myself to my bedroom and hid out in there for the remaining hours of the day.

I didn't feel hunger or thirst, only longed for a deep sleep to catch me up on what had been taken from me during the strange vision the night before. Once my head hit the pillow, I couldn't hold my eyelids open any longer, even though it was only mid-day. I drifted into slumber, quietly and peacefully as all my troubles and worries dissipated into unconsciousness.

xXx

I woke up at around 6:30 P.M. I dragged myself from the comfort of the bed and up onto my feet. I stood and stretched my arms, as I looked out the window. It was starting to get dark but the sky would only be swallowed into night in a few more hours. I opened the window and allowed a fresh, calming breeze to flow inside the room. It relaxed me for a moment until all of my worrisome thoughts stirred up my mind once more and the stress returned to my body. I thought I could at least put some relief to rest if I apologized to the other house members for being so incredibly rude by blatantly ignoring them when I walked back in. I hesitantly open the door and stepped out into the hallway. I could hear the light sound of tapping coming from the living room down the hall. I approached it and unsurprisingly found Sonia seated at the computer with a concentrated look on her face.

"Um, hey."

"Hi, how are you feeling?"

"Alright. I was just tired. I'm sorry I was so impolite before."

"Oh, that's fine Amy. We all have bad days where we don't want to talk to people."

"Really? I've never seen you have a day like that. You always seem so positive and happy."

"Well, I try and stay as far away from moodiness but sometimes it creeps up on me."

"I wish I could be like that; it'd probably be a lot easier to put up with me that way."

"Oh Amy, your no burden! And I like you just the way you are. You're a strong and caring individual with lots of heart and what you've been through has shaped you into that amazing girl. Your quirks are just what make you you."

"Sonia, do you really think all of that? Doesn't everybody think of me of that girl who was kidnapped and can't completely adapt to reality?"

"Nobody thinks that! And if anybody ever makes you feel that way then you just need to think of all the amazing things you've overcome."

"Thanks Sonia. I've never been told something like that before."

I only realized it after a moment, but I had tears welling in my eyes. I couldn't think of what I could possibly be sad about but then I realized that they were only out of an emotion overload. I had never had anybody show me so much compassion before and instead of making me feel small and vulnerable with pity, Sonia had just made my soul soar with happiness.

"Honey, are you crying? Oh, come here!"

She reached over and quickly hugged me. Sonia was a saint in my eyes. Just when I felt like I was falling, she helped me back up again. There were not enough words to explain how much I needed her in my life. If guardian angels existed, she would definitely be mine. I dried the tears that were spilling onto my cheeks and smiled at her. I never understood why she cared for me so much when she had known me for such a little amount of time. When I thought more about the situation, I realized that it was not only her but Sonic as well who opened up his home to me and allowed me to live in the best conditions I could ever imagine. I felt guilty for the way I acted; I let my spontaneous feelings of anger and irritation cloud over my rational mind. Suddenly, I had an epiphany about what had been going on around me for the last few weeks. All that time, I had thought that everyone was taking pity on me and seeing me as broken but I hadn't acknowledged everyone's acts of kindness, compassion and care. I had been under a spell of misery that was playing host to a party of melancholy and suffering. I hadn't allowed myself to let in the light while I shadowed myself in isolation and grief. There wasn't a moment where I had put others' feelings ahead of mine; I had been so selfish and didn't even know it. I wasn't about to continue on this path of narrow-mindedness. I didn't want to let my history control but to my dismay, the only way I could move on from it was to get the other girls back with me. Unlike me, they still had families who missed them every second for years and years. That was my new mission: to free them from torment and together we would be restored to our true selves.

I had been told where they were, whether or not anybody believed it. Wave had reached out to me and showed me that specific spot in my dream. I refused to believe that it was just my imagination or a reaction to my medication. If nobody else was going to take action, I thought, who better than I to do something about it.

xXx

On Wednesday, I decided to skip my therapy appointment. I know it seemed like a crucial point in which it would be a good idea to discuss my thoughts with a professional but I was slightly afraid that she might discourage my motivation to search for the girls. I had gone out on my own more often, trying to think of an appropriate time to find out when to head back to that neighborhood. Every time I went out, I traveled further towards the section of town, skimming the side streets and staring into it as if my conscience built an invisible force-field around it, preventing me from entering it. I longed to build up the courage to pass through but there was something holding me back.

"_...at least you know one part of town you should stay away from."_

Shadow's words crept into my head, echoing like he had only just spoken them to me. I knew that what I wanted to go through with was dangerous and maybe even stupid but it was the only possible way that I could assure that my dream would be taken seriously. I would not allow my fears to hold me back from saving them; that would be selfish and I was trying to change for the better.

On one particular walk, I stood on the side walk across the street in the exact spot I froze in my dream. It was tempting to let my subconscious guide me right into its depths but I held back. I turned around and headed back to the apartment complex. I had been walking for around fifteen minutes when I realized just how far it was on foot. My legs were beginning to tire out as I made my way across a busy street. When I arrived on the other side, I was startled by the sudden sound of a motorcycle screeching to a stop next to me. The rider removed his helmet and revealed who he was.

"Shadow! Hi, what are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question. What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Um, I guess I just got carried away in my thoughts and wandered a little farther than I normally do."

I smiled at him and he sighed, reaching for the second helmet that was clipped to the side of it and handed it to me.

"Come on. I'll give you a ride back."

"Oh, okay. I won't object to a free ride. Thanks!"

I hopped onto the back of the bike, as I had so many other times and placed the helmet over my head. Shadow then revved up the engine and sped off towards our building. I missed the feeling. It had been a little while since I had gone for a ride; the last time being the ride through the run-down neighborhood. My spirit felt free and I didn't worry as much on the bike because I trusted Shadow. Nothing bad had ever come close to happening and I felt safe with him. We weren't too far and arrived pretty quickly. He pulled up to the entrance to let me get off. I swung my leg over the side and removed my helmet then handed it back to him. I smiled at him and waved as he drove off to park around the corner. The sun had almost gone all the way down and night was approaching. If I had been walking, I would have for sure blindly making my way through the streets. I stepped inside the building and decided to wait for Shadow on the inside. I stood by the stairs for a couple of minutes before I saw his figure move its way through the doors. He had a surprised expression on his face when he noticed me.

"Amy, I thought you'd gone up already. What're you waiting here for?"

"I just wanted to thank you again for giving me a ride."

"Oh, its fine; you know I'm happy to do it."

He gave me a curt smile and then started his way up the stairs. I ran to catch up with him as he was much fast than me. He slowed his pace when he saw I was panting at the second flight.

"Hey, wait up! I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Remember what you said about staying away from that place we passed through last week?"

"Not specifically."

"You said that it was dangerous and that I should stay away from it."

"Correct. You should. It's no place to be wandering around; especially for a young girl like you. You wouldn't be safe."

"Okay, but what about for somebody who was living there?"

"Still just as dangerous. What's all this about?"

"I think that my captor has taken the other girls I was living with and hiding out there."

"Whoa. What makes you think that?"

"Well ever since you told me that the police hardly pass through there, it's been lingering in my mind and then I had this dream where my friend who, uh- passed away, told me that they were there. I tried to tell the police but they didn't take me seriously."

I lowered my head at the memory. I was still slightly shaken by Sonic's comment and the disbelief in the officer's expression was twisting the knife in further. Shadow's changed into a look of sorrow. He stared down at me for a while before speaking.

"Amy, no matter what goes down, promise me you won't look for them on your own. I know how desperately you want them to be found, but if something were to happen to you, you don't know the effect it would have on the people around you."

His tone was serious but calm. His eyes were filled with concern and worry as he gazed into mine. It took me a minute or so to absorb them before I responded.

"...I-I promise."

The words came out but if I thought them over again, I wasn't so sure I would be able to keep them true. We arrived at the top of the staircase of our floor and we each went off to our own doors. Before Shadow stepped into his apartment, he looked back over to me.

"Just stay out of trouble, okay."

"I'll try. Bye, Shadow!"

"See you around kiddo."

He then disappeared behind the large wooden door and I was alone in the hallway; or so I thought. As I turned the handle after taking out my key, I heard footsteps advancing from behind me.

"I thought I told you to never speak to him again. He's a bad influence."

"I ran into him on the way up the stairs. I wasn't going to be rude and ignore him."

"So you think it isn't insulting for you to deliberately defy me?"

"You're reasoning was illogical and besides, you're not brother or any other family member so why do you care about exchanging a few words with the neighbor?"

I was being a brat. I wasn't sure why I got so heated so rapidly but it could have had something to do with the fact that I still hadn't entirely forgiven him for his _honesty _at the police station. I stepped past the threshold and left him stranded in the corridor. I didn't turn around as headed to my room, saying hi to Sonia who was sitting at the computer once again. I passed by Sonia's room on the way to the bathroom to brush my teeth, peeking from the corner of my eye and seeing Manic lying down on the bed bobbing his head to some obnoxious tune emitting from his headphones. I stifled a laugh as I closed the door behind me. I finished up quickly and headed back to my room.

It was now dark outside and the skyline view from my window was lit up all the way across the town. It was like something I'd never seen before. When I had been kept inside the cabin, I never got to look outside at a view similar to this one. I took a moment to admire the beauty before calling it a night and crawling under the covers of my bed. I embraced the warmth as I closed my eyes and let my mind wander away into slumber.

Unlike the past nights where I was able to sleep soundly, I woke up with the feeling that I blacked out. I rose out of bed seeming like I was only out for a few minutes but in reality it had been hours. It was around ten in the morning and nobody else was to be found around the house. Even Manic had gone. He often went out and hung around old friends that lived around the neighborhood which was the opposite idea of what Sonic and Sonia thought was going to happen. I still didn't feel completely comfortable enough around him to tell him all about my past. It was another obstacle I had yet to tackle. I had expected to get to know him since we would be alone during the day but he liked to disappear for hours at a time and didn't seem too keen on getting to know me either.

I wandered around the house and attempted watching the television but it began to give me a headache after a little while so I occupied myself with other things. Sonia had given me novels, some of them I had read before but others I had never heard of. I positioned myself on the couch and picked up a book that I had reread countless times back in the cabin: 'Great Expectations'. It was honestly one of the best stories I had read, not only because it centered on self improvement but also because of the one line that stood out to me every time I reached the end of the novel. I flipped to the second to last page and read it out loud to myself.

"I have been bent and broken but, I hope, into a better shape."

I had been through a lot and it had broken my spirit at times but I did hope that I could only get better from that point. I was still in the process of change as I wondered if I could really achieve true happiness in the future. I knew that at the moment, it was hopeless and impossible because of all the impediments I had still had to overcome and all the things I had to do in order to move forward. One of those difficulties was being able to open up to people more easily. Rouge had told that its major progression for me to get it out of my system and that I would feel lighter once it was done. I made it a new goal in to let go of my fears and just come right out and explain everything that had happened to me when Manic arrived home. I didn't want to let diminutive restraints hold me back any longer from reaching my dream of feeling free. It was decided; just like it was decided that I would have to take matters into my own hands about finding my friends. I had waited too long to let it slip away from me. It was time I took action and did things for myself instead of letting others do everything for me.

As I had this moment of self discovery, I heard the distant sound of footsteps advancing towards the door. I suddenly felt my throat tighten up and my eyes widened. If it was who I thought it was, I would have to uphold my decision and talk about my past. The idea scared me in some ways and reassured me in others. I didn't know which feeling would overpower me but it would decide whether or not I would accomplish an objective or cower in the corner.

The door opened and Manic stepped through, oblivious to the inner turmoil I was suffering through. He was wearing a band t-shirt and a pair of worn out jeans. He never seemed to take life too seriously but according to Sonia, he was very focused when it came to academics even though he would claim himself to be a party animal on campus. I sat upright from my horizontal position on the couch and stood up.

"You're back."

"Yeah. My friend had some stuff to do and most of the other guys are at work. Why you got a problem?"

"What? No, it's just that the past few days you were gone most of the day and-"

"Relax, I'm just messin' with ya. You're usually asleep when I leave so this is first that we're both here. Wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah. Um, I understand that you still don't know why I'm staying here, right?"

"Yeah, Sonic said that you would tell me in your own time but he makes everything sound so serious lately."

I stared for a moment, fixed in place while I collected my thoughts and chose the path I wanted to take with this conversation.

_Should I say it now? Oh, I don't know what to do!_

"What're you lookin' at? Is there something you wanted to say?"

_It's now or never..._

"I was kidnapped."

"Pardon? What are you talking about?"

"At the age of six. A man who still remains nameless to me abducted me and brought me to a small house in the middle of a forest quite far from here. When I arrived there, there were three other girls who were also abducted and stayed with me for ten years. We never left and never hardly ever went outside. Some couldn't handle it and after seven years, one of them... took her own life."

I paused for a moment to catch myself before I started to cry even though I could already feel all the tears forming in my eyes. I peered at Manic who had shock written all over his face. He looked as if he wanted to say something but the words weren't coming out. I continued on.

"Several weeks after that- event, _he _brought in another captive. Most of us had forgotten our names as we were always called by the nicknames he had given us. The new arrival was quite young and we wanted to keep her as safe as possible which meant not making the mistake of calling her by the name he gave her. I actually think you may know of her."

"Wh-what? How could I know her?"

"I found out all of their names not long ago but hers I remembered. It was Tikal."

I looked up at him once again and watched the terror worsen in his expression. I was certain he knew about her. Without letting his shock calm down, I carried on through the story of my demise.

"Jumping to several months ago, we came up with this plan to escape but our hopes had discouraged with doubt as we kept waiting and waiting for the right moment. Delaying it further, we still found ourselves locked up in March. I couldn't take it anymore and after a spontaneous motivation, I fled. I can't remember what I was thinking but I managed to escape his grasps. It was a rainy night and everything was cold and dark and I was sprinting in random directions until I slipped onto a road where somebody stopped in their car and brought me to a hospital. That person being your brother."

_I did it... That's my life in a nutshell._

I watched his expression as I finally let him calm down from the dramatics and take in everything I had just told him. He sat down at the kitchen table and held his head in his hands. He gazed blankly at an empty spot on the wall as he absorbed my words. I felt a little bit guilty for forcing this all on him the minute he walked through the door but he was also curious about it. I bet that he hadn't seen any of that coming. I was surprised at how calm and level I was able to remain while throughout the entire time I was speaking. I swallowed the lump in my throat and wiped the wet from my eyes. I had managed to stay strong all that time and I wanted to keep going like that. I walked up to the table slowly and sat down across from Manic. He looked up as I approached.

"And you've been here after all that?"

"Yeah for almost two months now."

"Wow. Well I can tell you things make a lot more sense now."

"What do you mean?"

"Sonic told me that it was for a good reason and being the idiot that I am, I thought he meant something dumb 'cause he'd only known you for a couple of weeks when he told me."

"I don't think that you're an idiot for not believing him. It's close to impossible to guess something like this."

"I just can't believe it. That's like something out of a movie or something. Not that I don't take it seriously! And Tikal too. She's been missing for so long that everyone had secretly given up hope of her ever coming back."

"She will. I'll make sure of it if it's the last thing I ever do. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if the others were never found."

"I'm sure the police are doing everything they can to find them. But honestly; you have to be so brave to go through all of that and still be standing here telling me about it. It's amazing..."

I was surprised by his words. He caught me off guard by his serious tone that was unusual for his character. I turned my face to hide the blush that was appearing on my cheeks from the warmth I felt out of the compliment. Lately I had been hearing so many good things about myself that it made my lifted my spirit. I had never been praised or flattered so I never knew how good it felt inside. I couldn't express how glad I was to not hear another '_poor Amy_'; those were the worst.

"Thank you."

"No need for thanks, it's just the truth."

I stood up from the table and made my way back to my room. I paced around the wooden floor as I thought about the girls and how they were feeling. I had to push past all the mushy emotions that fluttered around my head. I had to put myself back on track if I wanted to help them. There wasn't a moment I could pass up to think of how and when I was going to look for them at the place from my dream. I was confusing myself all over the place and my head was spinning from the cluster of good and bad thoughts battling each other. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

_I'll have to act soon or else I'll go crazy with anticipation. Don't worry girls. I'm coming back for you. Hold on, I'm coming!_

xXx

It was quite late in the evening and Sonia had warned me earlier in the day that Sonic was planning on having Fiona over for us to get more acquainted. I, personally, was not too thrilled about it. I still found the idea of their relationship a tad strange because they had met while I was in the hospital. Technically, I was the main reason that they were together. I was lying down on my bed when I heard the front door open and the clack of pointy heels hitting the floor. I didn't budge from my spot. I wasn't interested in _getting to know _Fiona. I knew that she was a doctor and I knew that she was persistent. That was all I cared to know and I also had other thoughts on my mind. Sonic would be distracted tonight so it would buy me some time to go searching even though the sun was just beginning to disappear over the horizon. I put my shoes on shoved my key in the pocket of my jeans.

_I'll have to go soon. Maybe I can sneak out when they're-_

A furious and incessant knocking came from the front door. I was confused because I knew that Fiona was already in the apartment and that everyone was home. I opened my door and hesitantly stepped into the hallway. The knocking didn't stop as I walked forward, closer to the door.

"Who's that?"

Sonic had his hand on the door knob and turned around to face me, shrugging his shoulders. He turned the handle and in came the social worker that I met twice before; once at the hospital and once in the meeting at the apartment. I was even more confused about her presence once she started speaking or yelling rather. I assumed that it would have something to do with me but it turned out, it was centered on Sonic.

"You bastard! I lost my job because of you! And now you're going to pay!"

_What the hell is she talking about?_

Her and Sonic started arguing quite loudly and it was giving me a headache on top of my disorientation. It became too much for me and I took this chance to run right out the door. I sped down the stairs and fled out the entrance. I had to hurry because of the approaching darkness so I quickened my pace. It took me quite some time to arrive at the edge of the neighborhood. By then, I could hear my name being called frantically behind me but I ignored it. I took a step forward and let my body be guided just as it was in my vision. I could all but feel Wave's presence as she led me past the worn out buildings and boarded up windows. There it was again, that same feeling of eyes watching me from the shadows as I ran down streets until I arrived in the alleyway. I paused for a moment to realize exactly what I was doing. I started to panic as I understood how afraid I truly was and rightfully so. I was shaking and breathing quickly as I once again heard my name being called and the sound of footsteps hurriedly advancing towards me. I continued down the alley until I came up to the door against the wall at the end of it.

_Just like in my dream. This place is real. They have to be here!_

I suddenly felt I hand grab my shoulder which brought me out of my thoughts. I was terrified in the moment but then relieved to see that it was only Sonic. I stared at his worried face for a couple of seconds. He then caught his breath and immediately started scolding me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here!? Do you know how much you scared me? Come on, we're going right now!"

"No! Not yet, they're in there, I know it!"

"Who's in there?"

I was about to reply when we heard a banging coming from the other end of the door. My heart skipped a beat with both fear and hope. I tried going towards it to open it up but Sonic grabbed my hand and started bring me away from it. I pulled on my arm for him to free me but his grip was strong.

"No, let me go! We need to open it up!"

We started to hear voices coming from the same place behind the door. I saw Sonic stop to think for a minute before he tried the handle. It was stuck so he picked up a pipe and began whacking it until it fell off and the door burst open. Out came three small individuals who looked hysterically terrified. I knew those faces all too well. I knew the fear and I knew the relief that was written on their faces. It took me a moment to collect myself and really understand what had just happened. I walked nervously up to them and crouched down to face them, the shadows hiding most of their faces in the dark of the night. I reached my hand out to touch one of their faces to make sure that I wasn't dreaming; that they were real...

"R-Rose? I-is it really you?"

Before I could answer I felt Blaze's arms wrap around me, her shaky body latched onto mine as I tightly gripped her back. I couldn't believe it. I had just found them. They were here with me, in the flesh. I felt lightheaded with amazement at this moment. Nothing could ever compare to the feeling of relief that washed over me as I held her in my arms. I had been crying for some time without realizing it. I could see Sonic helping the others to their feet and trying to calm them down. They rushed at me from their spots and clobbered me when they realized that it was me that opened the door up.

"I knew you'd find us! Feathers told us!"

"She said you would come!"

I opened up my eyes in awe and through my tears, I saw the wavering, faded apparition of Wave. She smiled before disappearing again. We sat there for an eternity trying to grab hold of everything. We were all free now. Nothing could separate us ever again.

* * *

_**Alright so we got Amy's POV for finding the girls! I know it may sound a bit like an ending but I assure you it's not! I have SO MUCH MORE planned for this fanfic. It may turn out to be a very long story in its entirety but oh well! I really hoped you enjoyed it; don't forget to leave a review letting me know what you thought about it! Criticism is welcomed; flames are not so please be respectful! Thank you for your continued interest in the story and come back again soon!**_

_**-DarkRose**_


	15. Freeing Me

_**Hello everybody! Thanks so much for the all the lovely reviews, I really appreciate every single reader! I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to post something earlier but I've already been so busy with school work so the chapters will have to be a little more spaced out than usual. Anyway, for this chapter, I decided to make it a special one and by that I mean it's written in the 3**__**rd**__** person. Basically this is marking around the halfway mark for the story (it's going to be quite long if I put everything that I want in it!) so consider this the start of the second half of this story.**_

_**Please enjoy and don't forget to leave me a review at the bottom of the page! Here you go :D**_

* * *

_Chapter Fifteen: Freeing Me_

_August 3__rd,__ 2013 – 2:28 P.M. – Supreme Court of Mobius_

"And how does the jury plead?"

"On the counts of 5 charges of child abduction and detainment against their will, we find the defendant – guilty.

_On the count of encouragement of suicide, we find the defendant _

– _guilty._"

"_John Rose, I hereby sentence you to imprisonment for life on account of the jury's and my final judgment._

_Case closed."_

The gavel struck hard against the panel, the ringing still echoing through the dead room. The pale faces of the audience wore dumbfounded expressions, eyes gazing directly in front of them as jaws were parted and cheeks sagged from their exhausted facade. Stillness intensified the already thick tension between the viewers and the parties as the man who was to be incarcerated was lead through the aisle by two prison wardens.

The judge stood tall, though her short stature didn't give her too much height against the raised desk as she walked off into her office to the left side of the courtroom. A few people began to huddle out in pairs as the defense lawyer packed up the files to the case he had just lost. On the right end of the court stood an old, white bird dressed in a gray suit attempting to smile at the group of individuals seated behind the podium but failed miserably as they all looked distant and mentally absent. He picked up his briefcase and left the premises. The court room was close to empty but the people at the front stayed motionless in the same position as when they entered. After a long moment one a pink hedgehog dressed in a black, conservative dress stood and started up the aisle leading outside. The others followed slowly behind, creating a large gap between her and the rest of her party. A single court guard was the last to remain in the room as the doors were shut behind them, leaving behind a heavy air filled with nothing but pure inertia.

A day had passed and everyone was trying to recede back into their usual routines but found it rather difficult to continue as if nothing had ever happened. There wasn't a thought in their heads that wasn't caked in consternation or utter dullness. Some didn't know how to react to the event that had gone on and aimed to disregard its existence but mostly found it an unavoidable memory.

Each household coped differently with the end result. In reality, nothing had changed from the day before; everything was where it should be. Everyone had returned home, all the cars were parked in their respective driveways, the right man was now behind bars for all eternity.

Everything was where it should be...

xXx

A young fuchsia echidna stepped into her familiar bedroom, left exactly how it was when she was a child. Now eighteen, the childish wallpaper and atmosphere were unappealing but memorable. It sparked notes in her head as her brain cranked its gears attempting to find the memories it stored from her childhood. A few were able to be jotted, like a doll she used to be attached to when she was around five years old. It was worn and scuffed but still carried the same scent of crayons, now laced with must, for a piece was lodged inside from an incident that happened when she was less than two feet tall. She smiled at it before resting it against the light pink pillow on the child's bed.

The child that once slept here dreamt of nothing but being happy and loved by those around her; blissfully unaware of the danger that lurked right outside her bedroom walls. Her mood became somber as she recalled the very evening that changed the course of her life.

_It was a warm summer night where a daughter was being put to bed by her mother. The girl fussed that she wasn't tired but the yawn protruding from her mouth betrayed her. Her mother only smiled lovingly at her as she tucked her under the pink patterned covers. The child's hair messily encircled her head, resting on the fluffed pillow as she snuggled further into the sheets. The mother kissed her on the forehead and wandered over to the window to shut it._

"_No!" shouted the girl in a high-pitched tone that stopped the mother's actions immediately_

"_What is it dear?" she asked in a calm voice staring at the small delicate bundle whose head peeked out from underneath the blankets. _

"_It's too warm in here. I want the window open."_

_The mother hesitated for a moment before closing the window half way, leaving only a crack between the frame and the glass. She wanted to make sure that the space wasn't wide enough to let in an unwanted creature in the house. Satisfied, she walked over to the entrance of the bedroom. She turned back and smiled once more at her daughter before lightly closing the door, leaving the room now completely shadowed, the only light shining in through the window was the waning moon in its third quarter. The girl closed her heavy eyes and fell sound asleep within a matter of minutes._

_Butterflies and rainbows weren't what the child would be dreaming of tonight. She would not be a princess floating around a magical dreamland with all the chocolate cake in the world to eat. No, tonight she would play the part of a scared and vulnerable mouse playing hide and seek with a tiger._

_The crack in the window lifted at around a quarter to three and allowed a stronger breeze to flow throughout the room and flood it with fear, awakening the small echidna in the bed. Her body shifted under the covers as she tried to adjust to the strange air. It didn't take much time for her to be silenced by a strong hand over her mouth as she was pulled out from the sheets and carried off without a second to spare a thought. Confusion hit her first but then terror struck her to the core as she realized she had no idea what was going on. She was not dreaming but it didn't feel like she was awake either. Nothing was making sense; all she knew was that a strange monster had blinded her and closed off her speech so she could not ask what was going on. She was placed on a soft surface in a horizontal position as she tried to free herself from the ropes that were tight around her wrists and ankles. She was still barefoot, in her pajamas and understood nothing of what was occurring. All she knew was that she was afraid for her life and could hardly comprehend why. _

_Not a word was spoken by her captor as she began to feel the light rise and fall of the bumpy, unsteady road that lead to their destination. What was she supposed to do now? She could not see through the blindfold on her eyes; she could not scream with her mouth covered, only muffle out whimpers; she couldn't run anywhere with her hands and feet no longer functioning properly. What was she to do, other than just lay there with tears streaming down her innocent face? So that's what she did; stayed quiet and accepted her unknown fate..._

The dark pink echidna snapped out of her memory at the sound of her name being called; a name she hadn't heard for a very long time.

"Julie-Su? Are you alright?"

"Yes m-mother... I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look a bit lost."

"I'm fine."

"Okay, well let me know if you need anything, anything at all."

"Alright."

"*_Sigh_*"

"Hm? I'm sorry, did you say something, m-mother?"

"What? Oh no, I was just- I'm just still so happy to have you home again. It's still a shock to me everyday to see you standing here in this house."

"But I've been back for months now."

"I know, but a couple of months are nothing compared to the ten years me and your father have been waiting. It's just such a dream come true to have you back in our lives again."

The mother leaned forward and hugged Julie-Su. Julie-Su was surprised at first and didn't respond initially. She was very hesitant with all of her movements; slowly but surely, she paid back the gesture by putting her own arms around the woman she used to call "Mommy". She seemed to have grown old and weary; almost unrecognizable. The only thing that remained was the sparkle of love in her mother's eyes that she remembered instantly the moment she saw her the night she was brought to the police station; the night she was rescued.

_The cold and damp pavement didn't even affect her bruised and scratched knees as she held on tightly to her dear friend that had managed to accomplish what they had all dreamt of every since arriving in that nightmare they lived in for a decade and longer. She held on tight, not letting her stop and take a breath for a second. They stayed in that position for a moment before a blue hedgehog who accompanied her friend rushed them all out of the dark and grimy alleyway and into the ghostly street. She was already quite ragged looking in her bare feet and torn up clothing; if you could still call it clothing. Ever since _he _fled with her and the other two girls, he hadn't been able to keep up withal the necessities out of worry of getting discovered. He scrounged for every bit of food and took shelter in this abandoned apartment building. Julie-Su and the others were forced to sleep in makeshift beds formed out of blankets on top of folded boxes. Life had just gone from terrible to worse and the girls had absolutely no idea why they had to suddenly pack up and leave the cabin for the first time; just that it had something to do with her friend's disappearance. She also recalled a strangely similar occurrence that had happened a few years prior with another friend of hers. A friend who she would never again speak to or see again; except in her dreams. She had had a dream a few nights before they were rescued. It was of this certain door in the apartment basement which wasn't all too appealing to search around for. Her friend had brought her to the door and showed her that she would be saved by this door and this door alone. It had sparked up the hope amongst the girls after so much blatant misery. They gave this slim chance a shot and aimed it right at desire. _

_Not long after their arrival at the police station were they identified in the missing persons reports and their parents contacted. Julie-Su had captured her parents' expressions, the worry and relief written across their faces, and framed them in a glass case in her mind. One look was all it took for her to break down all over again and cry. One look, seeing her mother's eyes shining as they always did, and it was as if ten years hadn't separated them and she was that little girl again, whose mother adored her and tucked her in that warm summer night. She was Julie-Su again and not some assailant's 'Jewel'. _

Julie-Su's mother looked at her face; they were now around the same height. She just looked into her eyes and Julie-Su looked back. She was home.

xXx

This little girl wasn't gone for as long as the others but suffered just as much the trauma. This little girl who once loved going to school and learning about everything she could was not to return to the same world. This fantasy was over; the bubble had burst but at such a young age. This little girl, who had changed epically, was now sitting on the porch of her back yard, her parents gazing at her from the kitchen window, never daring to take their eyes off their precious prize ever again. She stared into the sunny sky and watched as the clouds passed over the trees and neighboring houses. She stared out into the open, something that was left only to her imagination for the last three years of her life. She tried smiling at the beautiful sight but her mind was plagued with heavy emotions at the moment. She focused her attention to the smoke rising from one house's chimney in the distance and it brought her back to that one day that transformed her life; that translated evil into reality.

"_Tikal, get out of there! It's time to go!" A mother shouted from a few yards away, scolding her eight year old daughter to get out of the pool. The orange echidna child jumped out seconds later, scattering water droplets as she shook her head to dry off her quills. She ran towards her mother who held out a towel with an extended arm. Little puddles formed under her feet everywhere she went until she dried herself off. Within a few moments, she had changed out of her swim suit and into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Her mother approached her afterward, tapping her foot impatiently against the concrete steps of the sports center's entrance._

"_Are you all ready to go? I want to get out of here," the mother was frowning with frustration at her daughter's slowness, her forehead creasing in the center, outlining the wrinkles._

_The little girl rushed out of the building ahead of her mother and out into the parking lot, full of excitement and joy, carelessly unaware of any dangers in the world, always relying on her parents to protect her from any harm. Her mother ran out after her, apprehension played across her face in fear for her daughter's life. _

"_Tikal! How many times do I have to tell you not to run out in the street like that?" she worriedly exclaimed as she grabbed the little girl's hand. Heading in the direction of their car, the child noticed a strange vehicle with the male driver watching her. She thought it odd and pulled closer to her mother until they got in the car._

_They drove on down the road for quite some time until they hit a massive traffic jam. The route they had taken was often empty with few cars passing by during rush hour so this came as a surprise to all the regular drivers. Many were popping their heads out of the window to see what lay ahead of them. Further down the line, there was a car that had crashed and was up in flames, the smoke billowing towards the girl and her mother's car. Her mother stepped out of the car to get a better look but forgot to lock the doors as she walked up the lane, as most other drivers were doing. Curious as children usual are, the little echidna stepped out too. Without her mother's knowledge she started down the road through the large cars and searched for her mother's familiar figure. As she weaved her way through many others, she started coughing lightly as smoke wafted through the gaps between cars and into her lungs. When she couldn't find her mother, she decided it would have been best to just wait in the car. The little girl, appearing miniscule next to the adults that surrounded her, made her way back to the familiar blue car but not without noticing the same strange van she saw at the sports center parked behind them, however, the driver was nowhere to be seen. The girl was about to climb back inside the car when a large dominating hand clamped down over her mouth and most of her face. She was pulled backwards and then carried further away from her mother's car. The next thing she knew, she was inside another vehicle, but wasn't able to tell because due to her sudden lack of sight. She tried to scream out for her mother but found her voice had been hushed by a cloth tied over her face so that she wouldn't speak. Her hands were bound behind her back but her legs were free to kick at everything in the vicinity. She fidgeted until she was tired out and began to quiet down. The car started up and drove off somewhere she would forever be unable to identify. It felt as though hours had passed as her eyes became flooded underneath the blindfold. There was no hope for escape at this point. She had been abducted out of her own stupidity for not following her mother's simple guidelines. She had brought this on herself._

"Where is she?" the girl heard an anxious voice from inside the house, that brought her back to reality. She turned her face towards the back door, awaiting whose face would appear behind the screen. A familiar smile shimmered through the tinted doorway before someone stepped outside to greet her.

"Hey there. What're you doing sitting out here all by yourself?" His tone was smooth and full of concern. It didn't seem forced like some other members of her family sounded like. She thought about _him _and how he must have not received a soul in his lifetime. It angered her to know that she will never get back those three years. Her anger deepened as she thought about how long he kept all the others for.

"Just thinking. Hey, Uncle Knuckles?" She asked, hoping for insight; also as a distraction from her infuriation.

"Yeah?" he responded immediately, totally devoted to quench any thirst for knowledge she had. There was not one thing he wouldn't do for her right now and it was spelled out in his eyes. He stared right at her when she was speaking.

"Do you ever wonder if people really have a soul?" she asked with all innocence preserved in her tone. She had never thought this darkly before. The kind of knowledge she used to go after was historical events not philosophical studies. She was still a child but guessing that after all she'd been through, mindful questions wouldn't sound so strange coming from an eleven year old.

"Um, I think that everyone has one but that some have stronger souls than others. Like you for example," he smiled widely at her which contagiously transferred to her but then disappeared moments later. She thought about what her parents would answer. They would probably avoid the question as they had tiptoed around everything lately. They watched her like a hawk but then avoided asking her anything that had to do with the kidnapping. Not one single question.

_The girls stepped hurriedly through the police station with their pink friend at the lead carrying so much determination; she could have led an army into war. She marched up to the front desk and demanded help. She announced their presence and identified each and every one of them. The entire station fell silent at the `apparition before them. These officers, who worked 'so hard' to find them, were found by the very person who escaped the same fate._

_Time passed by slowly as realization sunk in to all of them; the fact that they were out, they were free. No feeling should have felt better; but the little orange echidna girl couldn't help but feel fear emanating from everyone's auras. There was nothing left to fear but she guessed that the emotions still lingered after being present for so long. The biggest relief was when their parents showed up, tears welling in their eyes and immense wafts of overwhelming happiness drifted around the rooms. They called the girls by their names, not by their abhorrent nicknames given to them by _him. _Tikal. That was all she needed to hear._

"Tikal?" the same voice tugged her back into reality,

"Huh?" She hadn't heard a word due to her vision taking over.

"I've been calling you for a while now. Where did you go?" He asked in a caring attitude. He approached her to get a closer look at her lost expression.

"Uh, nowhere. What was it that you wanted to say?"

"Do you remember Sonic?" he pointed to this new individual who made his way toward me. She recognized him from that day he's found me and from the court the day before. He was with her friend the night they escaped.

"Hey Tikal. It's okay if you don't-"

"I remember," she interrupted. She knew she recognized him but she was way too distracted by other things to think of it clearly. She knew that he must have been on her side though; because he called her by her name. Her real name: Tikal.

xXx

She paced around the halls of this place that seemed so distant yet held so many memories. She stepped into rooms that invoked so many emotions and others that seemed to be forgotten in time. She finally inspected the room that used to be hers. She never thought that she would miss being a nine year old so much. There were things she dreamt of doing but never got the chance to. She missed out on her entire teenaged years and for that, she would never forgive _him._

_She was walking home from school alone on the street. Her house was only a few blocks away so her father thought that it would be fine; and it was. There were never any dangerous people in the area, only children and their parents. The purple cat child walked on as the cold November winds whipped her face. She entered her house and greeted her weary looking father._

"_I'm home, Dad!" she exclaimed with glee. Her smile was meant to brighten his day but instead he only looked up from the newspaper he was reading and then went back to it._

"_Alright..." he responded lackadaisically. This made the small cat angry on the inside but she managed to calm herself. She had to understand that her father worked nightshifts to support them; since her mother had passed two years before that, he was the only working parent. _

_The lilac girl ran up the stairs and locked herself in her room. She kept a diary that she used to write massages to her mother in. She grabbed a pen and opened it up. She read aloud as she wrote._

"_Dear Mom,_

_I miss you every day. I missed you extra today 'cause this girl in the class had her mom come to school with her to teach us about doctor stuff 'cause she's a doctor. It made me sad because she still has her mom with her and I can only talk to you through here. I hope you're able to read this from Heaven!_

_Dad was a little more tired today than usual, but its better than yesterday 'cause he actually looked up from what he was reading and yesterday he didn't even here me."_

"_Blaze! Get down here!" Her father erupted from downstairs, interrupting her thoughts. Before she got out of her position, she wrote down a few last things._

"_I have to go now, Dad's calling me but I'll talk to you later!" She closed the book and rushed out the door, to where her father was standing at the foot of the stairs._

"_Blaze, I need you to go buy some milk for the coffee; we're out," he said in a demanding tone. No please, no thank you. Just like usual._

"_Fine," Blaze grabbed he jacket and made her way through the windy streets until she reached the grocery store. She easily picked up a carton of milk and was walking home from the shop. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to pick up a penny that had a head's up. She thought it was going to be a lucky penny that might actually bring her some hope but instead, it only brought dread. When the little cat girl stood up, she was left looking up at a tall red hedgehog. She only had a few moments to quiver and step back, allowing the milk to drop onto the floor; its contents spilling onto the open, empty street. The girl grabbed and carried away. One of her deepest nightmares was coming to life. Someone who longed for order and peace was receiving the exact opposite, chaos and loss of control. All because she wanted to pick up the penny. All because her father had be so lazy and not get milk for himself. She was now whisked away by a stranger who she didn't have the slightest hint on what he would do to her. This is drove her anger._

The violet she-cat entered her bedroom that her father had kept exactly the same. She walked over to the edge of her bed and knelt down. Up until now, she hadn't bothered writing to her mother; the thought had never crossed her mind until she remembered the first encounter with _him. _

She remembered how angry she was at her father when she saw him at the police station. How infuriated she was, even after all these years. She thought she'd gotten over it and forgiven him for letting it happen in the first place but then she saw him at the police station. His eyes lit up upon seeing her, as if she was as important to him as that newspaper that day it happened.

_She couldn't believe that they were finally free. Free from that monstrous hell-hole, free to live whatever life they had left. She longed to discover the things she could finally do now that there was no control over her. She wanted to jump up and down with excitement but she was so exhausted and weak that that plan was impossible at the moment. Once they arrived at the police station, she calmed down and really tried to understand what her freedom meant. She thought that the freedom would feel peaceful and relaxing but instead it only made her anxious. There was a thick air about the place as they waited to be properly identified and have their parents called. The lilac cat waited in silence until her father had shown up. When she laid eyes on him, she was taken aback ct first. He had aged so much and now looked a wrinkled mess. She hugged him because it was the easiest thing to do but then she more that desired to slap him in the face for letting her go and giving up on her after her mother had died. She didn't know how to begin this new found freedom; she had nothing left of the past. It would not haunt her and she would move forward. _

She was no longer a scared kitten, lost in the street; she was a burning flame full of desires and wants and needs. She would blaze through the world and warn the world of the disasters that occur behind the locked doors at the end of the alleyways. She would be called one thing and one thing alone: Blaze.

xXx

A pink hedgehog sat down in the apartment she had grown so used to; that she now called home. She lived there with the people who she looked up to the most and the ones who she now had established relationships with. The trial was over now, and her captor had been sentenced to life. She should be happy, no, overjoyed about the justice, right? Wrong. There were more thoughts than possible coursing through her mind, a train on fire.

There was no possible way to explain the confusion going in Amy's head. She now sat in her room, loosely feeling the sleepiness of her medication start to take effect. As she drifted off into slumber, she could only think of one thing; how did it come to this?

"_Amy? Amy! Where are you!" a worried mother cried out, her eyes darting back and forth, desperately searching for her six year old daughter in the grocery story. She abandoned her shopping cart and ran up and down aisles, her heart racing, until she caught sight of the pink rug-rat hiding behind a pyramid of cans._

"_Oh my God, Amy, you nearly gave me a heart attack! Don't you ever, _ever _do something like that again, do I make myself clear?!" the mother scolded loudly. The little pink child just lowered her head in understanding. Her mother gave her a quick hug and took hold of her hand. She headed towards the cash register and to pay for the things they went there for, although some items from the cart were missing by the time they got back. They waited in line and paid just like everybody else. When they stepped into the parking lot, they headed to the left bringing the shopping cart with them. The young girl's mother was unloading the groceries in the trunk of the car and wasn't able to keep track of her daughter. _

_It only took a minute. One, single precious that ended up being the end of both of them. In that isolated minute, a large man was able to steal a child from her mother's blind spot and eventually rob the last moment this woman would ever see her daughter ever again. And just like that, she was gone..._

Eyes opening wide, peering at a blank ceiling that was not the cabin in the woods. Reliving memories was always a tough challenge for sixteen year old Amy. She sat up in her bed, head spinning and mind whirling. Just as she'd forgotten what had happened the day before, she remembered everything. Everything that she once thought was normal or right was now strange and wrong. Everything was backwards as of yesterday.

Yesterday. The first time she was explained who her abductor really was. She had thought it awkward when she learned what the man's name was. His name was John Rose. She asked herself over and over why they would share the same last name. She finally talked to professionals working on the case who told her that very morning that the true reason was because she was never totally an orphan.

For the past five months, Amy had been told that both of her parents were dead. It was all a lie. She had been told that her father had died in a war; a brave death. She had been told that she was too young to remember him. She had been told that he was a good man. There was nothing more wrong with the world than what she had just been told.

"So John Rose is my father?"

"Yes, I'm sorry you are only hearing of this now. I know it must be terribly difficult comprehending this whole mess of a situation. Please try and stay strong; today is the last day of the trial."

With that, the man stood up and left her alone to think it through. She tried playing it out in her head but it just didn't sound right. She started saying her thoughts in the open.

"My own father, whom I don't remember, was the same man who kidnapped and detained me and four other girls over the course of a decade. How is the world supposed to make sense after this?"

She sighed exasperatedly and sat back down on her bed. She hung her head for a good while before looking back up and staring blankly at the while.

_It's not._

Case closed.

_**Lots of drama. Lots and lots of backgrounds as well, I wanted to take a break from just Sonic and Amy's pov so I thought I'd be able to show a little from all the new characters. Please tell me what you thought about it and remember to leave a review! Thank you :D**_

_**-DarkRose**_


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